Of Fire and Violet Eyes
by have-a-cookie
Summary: It was a rare feature, violet eyes. Hikaru/OC/Kaoru Tamaki/Haruhi
1. Prologue

**A/N: So, this is my very first Ouran High School Host Club fiction. I hope to make it enjoyable for you all :D. The rest of my author note will be at the end of this. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Summary: My life only started when I stepped on that plane.**

**Prologue**

**[RPOV]**

They say life starts at a different point for everyone. Some when they're born, some when married. For me, my life truly started when I was 13 years old, and I boarded International Airline's **(1)** flight to Japan.

You see, my Auntie Han and Uncle Taro lived in Japan. My mom and dad decided to send me over seas for a little visit one summer. I had no idea that simply boarding the plane would change my life forever.

I was sitting in the middle seat of the first row, anxiously wondering who would be sitting on either side of me. I fiddled with my pink shirt as I hoped for someone talkative and interesting who wouldn't mind my constant babbling. I enjoyed talking, and to have to shut up for a 13 hour **(2)** plane ride might just kill me. I casually hummed to myself, waiting. I closed my eyes and wondered how Auntie and Uncle were. I hadn't spoken to them since my twelfth birthday, and that was awhile ago. I soon got lost in my thoughts and nearly jumped when I felt someone tap my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see a pair of red headed twins staring at me. I smiled at them kindly and said, "Are your seats here?"

The boys nodded as a response, but didn't say a word. One of them squeezed by me without waiting for me to make room for them, and the other sat in the aisle seat. Not a sound came from either of the boys. I stared at each one, puzzled. I tended to be one of those people who fought to the death over the window seat.

The three of us sat there awkwardly until I couldn't take the silence anymore, "So…what are your names?"

The one sitting by the window mumbled, "Hikaru."

The other whispered, "Kaoru."

When they didn't ask my name in return, I coughed and said, "Well…I'm Raine **(3)**. You can call me Rae if you'd like." Neither of them said anything, so I continued, "My real name is Emiko. I'm going to Japan to visit my Auntie and Uncle. What about you two? Are you visiting Japan or going home?"

They both muttered, "Home." and clammed up again.

The silence got awkward again, so I said, "A gay baby was born."

The people behind us coughed and when I turned around they gave me a dirty look. Whoops…

I tapped my arm rest, already feeling fidgety. I decided to try breaking the ice with the twins one more time, "So…why are you in America?"

Hikaru, still looking out the window, said, "Visiting relatives."

I had a feeling that they wanted me to stop talking to them, so I shut up. I grew restless pretty fast and we were hardly even an hour into the flight. I stared at Hikaru for what seemed like an eternity, and then I started to stare at Kaoru. I went back and forth between the two for awhile. It's not like it was my fault…I was bored and had nothing better to do. They seemed identical, but I wanted to find the differences.

After awhile though, Hikaru finally asked (quite irritably I might add), "Could you quit that?"

"I just wanted to make sure I'd be able to tell you guys apart." I said innocently.

Now Kaoru turned to me, "You couldn't tell us apart. No one can." He sounded bitter, as though he was remembering something from his past. He frowned at me, and looked away.

I only smiled, "Well…I think I could. You guys can even test me if you want to. You're wearing the same clothes and everything. Just give me a chance when we land, ok?"

Hikaru mumbled something I couldn't understand, but I took it as a "Yeah, right." Well then…I'd show him.

The flight continued, but I didn't bother Hikaru or Kaoru anymore. Well…ok, I bothered Kaoru ONCE, but I really had to go to the bathroom, so it didn't count.

The plane finally landed in Tokyo. I hurried to go claim my luggage. I reached the carousel right when the twins reached me. Their hair was messed up and they were hand in hand. They looked more like each other than before, but my smile didn't change. They wore identical frowns, and were looking at me skeptically, but had some sort of hope in their eyes. I looked at each one closely, and finally gave them both a huge smile.

I pointed to the one on my right, "You are definitely Kaoru," and I pointed to the one on my left, "and you are definitely Hikaru." I turned around right as my luggage came. I grabbed it and started walking towards my auntie and uncle. I paused and turned around, "Am I right?" Their blank faces gave it away. I smiled again and flashed the peace sign, "Well, see you!"

**[KPOV]**

After Raine walked away, I couldn't help but give a small smile. Hikaru stood there, stiff as a bored, not that I could blame him. When he finally started to speak, he only said "She was guessing." over and over.

My eyes followed her until I couldn't see her anymore, completely mesmorized by her ability to tell us apart.

Most people couldn't get into our world if they tried, or even wanted to. Hikaru and I put up a boundary that nobody could cross, or so we believed.

But there goes Raine, the first one to set foot in our world.

**[HPOV]**

How the little brown haired violet eyed devil was able to tell us apart was a mystery, but all I knew was that she wasn't guessing, even if I said she was.

To be honest, I never thought this day would come. Only in my wildest fantasies had anyone ever been able to tell us apart. No one could tell us apart. Our parents even mixed us up all the time.

Kaoru watched her leave, but I couldn't face it, because the reality is, is that no matter what I said, I wanted to see her again.

I put my arm around Kaoru and we walked until we found our driver. He smiled at us kindly, but ended up calling me Kaoru…again. All I could do was smile and pretend that he was right.

But the whole ride home was just consumed of thoughts of that little brown haired violet eyed devil Raine.

**(1): International Airline -- not a real airline (to my knowledge anyway).**

**(2): Raine's location to Toyko is actually a 13 hour plane ride (well…ok, 12 hours and 55 minutes). Guess where she lives and have the chapter dedicated to you :D.**

**(3): Raine is pronounced exactly like 'rain.' **

**A/N: Actually, taking a plane ride is what inspired me to write this story. And yes, Raine sounds like a Mary Sue right now, but I promise, she isn't. She's got a deeper character, but it's not like she'd show that to strangers, right? Right. **

**So, I was contemplating writing a story for this or Code Lyoko. I've decided I'm going to do both (plus my CR and SWAC story) meaning that updates won't be coming left and right. Well…ok, that's mostly because of school (so if you want to complain, go to Laguna Creek and talk to the principal…haha…my attempt at humor).**

**In any case, you'll notice I didn't talk much about Raine's appearance except in Hikaru's point of view. All you know is that she has brown hair and violet eyes. Yes, this will be important later. But for now, you can just imagine her to be whatever. Ok?**

**And please review, even if it's just a 'update soon' or 'aw, cute idea' or something. I've noticed (while reading the OHSHC section) that reviews are far and few, which is disappointing (especially with the wide fan base and all the obvious readers/writers of the section). I'm not one of those people who demand 'x' amount of reviews to update, but I do want to know if you guys are out there. **

**And (finally) I will occasionally have questions at the end of a chapter, asking where you want the story to go. You can also send in your ideas via PM or review. Who knows, maybe your ideas will end up here :D.**

**So…I guess that's it. And I promise, my author notes won't be this long all the time.**

**Peace!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 1**

**[RPOV]**

After returning home from Japan, I started to miss it more and more everyday. It wasn't just the food or the fact that I got to be with Auntie and Uncle, but it was the whole idea of Japan.

I was half Japanese, and really wasn't much in tune with that side me, as my other half (my father's half) is Italian. Growing up, the only true Japanese culture (besides the rare occasion of mom's cooking) was the language. My mom always spoke Japanese around the house, and expected me and my father to learn, so we did. Now I know enough Japanese to hold a conversation with somebody **(1)**.

One morning, a few days before high school started, I took a long look at myself in the mirror. Starting high school was going to be crazy, and I knew it. I brushed back a lock of my dark brown hair.

Brown hair. Pale skin. Gangly body.

The only part of me that actually looked good were my violet eyes. It was a rare feature, violet eyes. My mother had them, and so did her mother, and most likely for generations before that.

Mom said it was a blessing.

I wasn't so sure.

"Raine!" My father called.

I finally tore my eyes away from the mirror, "Coming dad!"

I raced down to the front of our apartment building. Yes, apartment. It wasn't that we were too poor to own a house; actually, we weren't poor at all. My parents were just cheap. Well…actually I lied. We live in upstate New York, and our apartment is pretty big. We moved here not too long ago…after…well, everything.

Both my mom and dad wore grins. I bit my lower lip, wondering if they found my hidden report card (I had gotten a 'C' in history, so I took my report card and chucked it under a couch cushion). But the grins seemed to be genuine, so I figured that my bad grades couldn't be the cause.

"Are we getting a puppy?" I asked hopefully. I loved animals, but again, my parents were quite cheap, so they've crushed this dream quite a few times.

"No."

I tapped my chin, "Is it…someone's birthday?"

"No."

I gasped, "Mom! Are you pregnant!"

"RAINE!" My mom shrieked, looking down and patting her stomach.

"What! It's not that you LOOK pregnant, but a new sibling seems like good news!" I thought a little bit more, "Are we moving?" My parents smiled even wider and handed me a ticket. I looked down at the place of arrival and let out a scream, "I get to go to school in Japan!"

My mother smiled, "I talked to Han. She said it would be fine for you to live with her for the school year. You'll be attending Ouran High School. Very prestigious. Your Aunt Han graduated top of her class, and I graduated top of mine. It's a very nice school, and I think you'll like it a lot."

"Just no boys!" my father warned, "You're still my bambita **(2)**."

So, a few days later I was on my way to Japan.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

Auntie Han and Uncle Taro greeted me with a hug and smile.

"Konichiwa!" I said happily.

Uncle ruffled my hair, "Welcome to Japan!" He kissed the top of my forehead and grabbed my suitcase. Auntie took my carry on and motioned for me to start walking with them.

Auntie and Uncle led me to their car and opened the door for me. I crawled inside, excited to be back in Japan. Uncle and Auntie got in the car, and Uncle started driving, while Auntie asked me about my flight and if I was hungry.

"I'm fine Auntie, really!" I reassured her.

She nodded and said, "You excited for tomorrow?"

I nodded a bit hesitantly, "Yes, but I don't know much about the school…will you tell me?"

Auntie threw her head back and laughed, "Well…your mother and I were both accepted in from the Honors Program. We each graduated top of our class, you know. Most people at Ouran are very rich, but having family previously attend helps you get in…although now with the companies that our family owns, I suppose you could call us rich now…There's a uniform for the school, we ordered you some already, so don't worry about it, but it's pretty laid back for a private school." she paused, "It's a lot different from American schools, but I think you'll fit in just fine…" Auntie trailed off before finally finishing with, "Well, look, we're here. Raine, just make yourself at home."

I jumped out of the car while Auntie and Uncle got my things. I ran to the front door to see that a package with my name on it was waiting. I grabbed it, and saw it was from Ouran. I opened the front door, kicked off my shoes, and ran inside.

Once the brown packaging was ripped off, I got a first glance at my new uniform. A white collared button down shirt, a blue blazer with blue buttons and the school's crest, and black pants. I grinned, and carefully touched the blue buttons, treating each one with care. The uniform looked better than I thought it would.

Auntie came in and her face paled, "Oh dear…"

I looked at her oddly and asked, "What do you mean?"

Auntie only grabbed the blazer. She frowned and said, "They sent you a male uniform!"

I laughed, "Oh…that's all? It's no problem, I don't mind dressing like a guy. Besides, I have old pleated blue skirts from my old school. I think it'll match alright…"

Auntie looked skeptical, "I could just order you a girls' uniform."

I shook my head, "No! It's fine, really." Truth is, I liked the guys uniform a lot, and I really didn't want to wear anything else, "Besides, I'm already living here, and that will get expensive. There's no need for you to have to order me new clothes."

"If you're sure…"

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

The principal of Ouran High School shook my hand, "Nice to meet you Emiko. You look just like your mother."

I opened my eyes in shock, "You were the principal when my mother was in school?"

He laughed, "You have her sense of humor too. No, I was in her class. Very smart woman, her sister was too."

I suddenly felt very embarrassed, "Well, thank you for welcoming me here."

He smiled at me, "No problem…you're only starting classes a few weeks **(3)** after everyone else has. I'm sure you'll catch up quickly."

I nodded.

He guided me to room 1-A, then he wished me luck and disappeared. I let out a deep breath and turned to the door. I reached for the door knob, my palms sweaty. I opened the door quietly, but I was met with 30 pairs of eyes.

The teacher motioned for me to step towards the front of the room. When I reached her, she put a hand on my back and said, "Class, this is our new student, Emiko Morelli."

I glanced down at the floor. I wasn't normally one to shy away from people, but I wasn't used to being singled out in the classroom. I also wasn't sure if people were looking at me because I was new, or because I looked so different from the other girls. Although…I was glad I talked Auntie out of getting me the girl uniform…it made them look like fat yellow cupcakes.

I cleared my throat and put on my best smile, "Hi! My name is Emiko, but you can all call me Raine."

**[KPOV]**

"But you can call me Raine…"

I lifted my head and smirked. I'd know that face anywhere. It's creepy to say, but that face hadn't left my mind since the day I saw it.

"Hikaru…"

"I know."

Raine smiled at the teacher and was told to sit in the second row. I was disappointed that she wasn't going to be sitting in the back of the room by Hikaru and me.

And I also couldn't help but think…if we remembered Raine, would Raine remember us?

**[HPOV]**

The brown haired violet eyed devil was back. Even though now she wasn't the only one who could tell us apart (Haruhi could…for some reason…it's a long story), she was still the first. And it annoyed me that she hadn't made any effort to talk to me or Kaoru. She didn't seem to be the forgetful type.

So, I was disappointed when she took a seat up front. It wasn't fair. There was a lot of room in the back. Plus, Raine would certainly make for a fun little toy.

So I sighed and waited (impatiently) for the bell to ring.

When it finally did, everyone made a mad rush for the door. Kaoru said something about how he'd catch up to me later, and left. The only other person in the room was Raine.

She gathered up her books and started to walk away. I was about to call out to her when she suddenly turned around, as though she forgot something. She smiled at me, "Hello Hikaru."

**(1): Meaning she can't read or write in Japanese, she can only speak it.**

**(2): Bambita -- little girl in Italian.**

**(3): Ok, so American schooling started later then Japanese schooling did. Therefore instead of being a few days behind, Raine is a couple weeks behind schedule.**

**Question:**

**Would you rather this be:**

**A. Hika/Rai**

**B. Kao/Rai**

**C. Hika/Rai/Kao (meaning you don't know and you'd rather them both fawn over her for now.)**

**D. Someone else (if so, who)/Rai**

**E. Someone (if so, who)/NEW OC (I'm bringing in a new OC soon anyways, so…)**

**Thank you for partaking in this survey. (Yes you may pick more than one, and may vote more than once…as in you can vote this chapter and the next one). This will be open until chapter 4, unless I state otherwise.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Summary: My life only started when I stepped on that plane.**

**Chapter 2**

**[RPOV]**

Hikaru only stared at me like I had three heads before finally smiling at me. I heard him mutter, "Devil."

I gave him a wide smile, "Well, what a small world! It's nice to see you…well…I saw you when I walked in…I was hoping to talk to Kaoru too…" I looked around, "but I see he's already left." I laughed, and then shrugged, "Well, see you."

I flashed my signature peace sign and walked out the door. I roamed through the halls a bit, wondering if the school had a swim team. They had a pool for sure, I saw it when Auntie dropped me off, and I was hoping that I'd be able to sign up for the school's swim team if they had one. I considered myself to be a pretty strong swimmer, and I thought it'd give me a chance to fit in a bit better.

After wandering around for about another five minutes, I finally found the pool, and I was in luck. There was still time to sign up for the swim team.

I told the coach who I was, and apparently, he knows my uncle. I said that everyone knew who my uncle was, and the coach just laughed at me, so I gave him a sheepish grin as a response. He handed me a bathing suit and told me to go change and then give him a few laps.

I turned my head towards the girls who were standing behind coach, gawking at me. I waved and said, "Hello, I'm Raine." They didn't respond, so I continued, "Well, thanks for letting me join your team, I'm sure we'll all be great friends!" They looked at me darkly, so I turned away and rubbed the back of my head, hoping that they would warm up to me.

After practice, we went to the showers in the locker room. I turned on the water and hummed to myself, happy that my first day at Ouran turned out to be pretty good. Lessons were easy, and the teachers had patience to have to write everything in both Japanese and English. I closed my eyes and let the hot water consume me.

Hikaru and Kaoru were here too. I'm not sure why I was happy about that, but I was. They seemed a lot different now though…they seemed to be happier.

I shut off the water and grabbed my towel. I walked to where I set my stuff down, expecting to see my bag and my dry uniform. Instead, I saw my wet swimsuit and a note. I picked it up, only to find that it was written in Japanese. I grimaced, put on my wet suit, and wrapped the towel around me. I ran out of the locker room and up to the first kid I saw.

"Excuse me," I panted, "could you please translate this for me?"

It was a girl I ran up to. I handed her the now slightly soggy note. She gave me a look of sympathy and said, "It says you'll find your things in the third music room."

"Thanks." I said, taking off, only to realize that I had no idea where the third music room was. I turned back to her, "Um…"

She gave me a smile, "Up the stairs in that building, it's the second door on the left."

"Thanks again."

I ran all the way there, now covered in water and sweat. I wiped my brow, tightened my towel, and opened the door, only to be blinded by a bright light and then hit with rose petals.

"Welcome."

I rubbed my eyes with my free hand, and when I opened them, I realized that I was face to face with seven gorgeous boys.

I turned red, but before I could say anything, a tall blonde stooped down to my level. I looked into his eyes and nearly stopped breathing. His eyes were exactly like mine, violet. He cupped my face and said, "Well, it looks like we have a new customer."

"C-c-customer?" I stammered. He was making my situation about ten times more awkward being so close to me, "N-n-no…my clothes, they-"

He wouldn't let me finish. Instead, he struck a dramatic pose and said, "I'm Tamaki Suoh, president of the Host Club."

My mouth twitched, "H-host Club? No! These girls, they-"

Tamaki cut me off by putting his fingers to my lips, "Recommended coming here? Well, who wouldn't? Now, which boy is your type? There's the boy Lolita, the wild type, the cool type, the mischievous type, the natural, and then of course, there's me." He stroked the bottom of my chin, causing my face to turn even redder, "So, beautiful, who would you like?"

"U-u-um…do you…happen to know where my clothes are?"

It seemed as though Tamaki just realized I was in my bathing suit and towel, because he turned red. I shivered and shook my head, "Never mind…I'll just walk home like this."

I turned, but felt someone grab the bottom of the towel. I looked down and saw a young boy, the one that Tamaki called the boy Lolita. I wondered if he really was a third year. He hardly looked older then six or maybe seven years old.

"Please don't go! Have some cake with me!"

I gave a small smile, "Maybe some other time. I'd really like to find my clothes and bag."

"We have a spare uniform."

I wanted to leave. The situation was getting more and more awkward by the second, but he looked so adorable, its not like you could resist a face like his. So I (lamely) agreed.

In the mad rush, I didn't notice Hikaru and Kaoru standing and laughing with the "natural type" who…come to think of it, is in our class. I looked at them, and smiled. I turned back and was led by Tamaki to a dressing room. I closed the door and looked at the hideous monstrosity they called a dress. I threw it on and frowned. It was heavy.

I opened the door only to be dragged to a table with the "boy Lolita" and "wild" types. I sucked in my breath, "So…what are your names?"

The little boy gasped, "Oh! I'm Haninozuka Mitsukuni, but everyone calls me Honey **(1)**. And this is Morinozuka Takashi, but we all call him Mori."

Mori muttered a monotoned, "Hi."

I figured Mori wasn't someone who talked a whole lot. I coughed a bit before saying, "Well…my real name is Emiko, but everyone just calls me by my middle name, Raine."

"Rae-chan!" Honey cried out happily, "What's your favorite type of cake?"

And so I ended up spending my afternoon with the Host Club in the monstrosity dress. Honey introduced me to the other hosts. They all seemed pretty nice, although Kyoya seemed a bit colder than the others. I got a better look at Haruhi (the "natural" type). I thought he looked a bit girly, but to be honest, so did Honey and a lot of Asian guys at Ouran, so who was I to judge? It could be a very popular style here.

"Well, it's been real, but I need to find my clothes and bag so I can go home." I said.

One of the customers giggled. I glanced over to see who it was and I noticed that she was the captain of the swim team. When she caught my eye she smiled and said, "If you can win at the Guess Which One is Hikaru Game, you can have your stuff. But don't get your hopes up, nobody ever wins at that game."

Hikaru and Kaoru stepped in front of me, each with a green hat on. Hikaru grinned, "Let's play the Which One is Hikaru Game!" The twins shuffled themselves and stood in front of me. In perfect synchronization, they said, "Now, which one is Hikaru?"

"Do you honestly think I can't still tell you apart?" I asked dryly. I pointed to Hikaru, who stood on the right, "You're Hikaru. Kaoru is on the left."

"Wrong!" They exclaimed. Everyone in the room snickered.

I narrowed my eyes, "You're both such liars, and you know I'm right."

The twins looked at each other and their mouths tightened, but they didn't say anything. They just met with my stare.

The room suddenly broke out in chatter from all the girls, "Did you see that?" "How did she know?" "She must be psychic…"

I coughed, "So…my stuff?"

**[HPOV]**

I still couldn't believe that she was able to guess. Why was she able to guess? I stared her down, but she didn't look away from me.

I scoffed, and remembered that I still had her things hidden.

I gave Kaoru a wide grin.

Yes Raine, you were right.

So pay the price.

**[KPOV]**

It wasn't my idea, I swear; but when the girls from the swim team came with Raine's things, it was just too good an opportunity to mess with Raine to pass up. So when they came, I didn't argue with Hikaru when he suggested hiding them. Besides, meeting the Host Club was good for her.

…

Right?

She coughed again. Hikaru stood behind her and blew into her ears. Then he leaned in real close, "Maybe we'll give them to you…"

I sauntered over to her other hear, already knowing where this was going, "If you'll be our toy…"

**[RPOV]**

When Kaoru said "toy" I lost it. Half the girls in the room were glaring daggers at me, and half were watching the show, on the edge of their seats. Me? I was wearing the cupcake dress and was getting pissed, which was something that didn't happen often. I think it was the dress that tipped me over though…

Either way, I just stood up and faced them, "It's not worth it." I turned towards the door, and left the third music room.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

I was waiting in a deserted hallway until I thought it was safe to go back inside. If they wouldn't give me my clothes and bag, I'd have to steal it back instead. I opened the door, pleased to find that there were no petals hitting me this time. I was also pleased that the room was empty.

"Well, I guess here is a good place to start." I said, opening a door with writing on it.

Unfortunately for me, there was someone changing in there. I squeaked a "Gomen." before I saw that it was Haruhi. I clapped a hand over my mouth, "You-you're a-"

Haruhi ran to me and yanked me inside the room. She put a finger to her lips and handed me my things. I took them quietly, still in shock. She pushed me out of her room and out of the music room.

I was unhappy that my first day at Ouran gave me more questions than answers.

**(1) Honey is the manga spelling, so I'm going to go with that one. :D**

**Review?**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Chapter 3**

**[KPOV]**

Hikaru and I were sitting in our limo, not really saying anything. I knew what he was thinking though. He was thinking about Raine, and how she stormed out on us earlier.

"Stop thinking about it Hikaru." I said.

He didn't respond. He was looking out the window with a distant look in his eyes. He was sulking.

But why?

**[HPOV]**

Ok, I'll admit I was thinking about her, but it's not my fault. She walked into my life and she won't even play along with my games.

Truth is, even though I was happy that she could tell us apart, I didn't want her to. Having someone enter the barriers Kaoru and I worked so hard to put up scared me. I didn't want anyone to come between us.

I stole a glance at my brother, who was mirroring my pose. I sighed and remembered what happened after Raine ran out of the Third Music Room.

_Haruhi watched as Raine slammed the door. She turned to me, "What was that for?"_

_I shrugged, "What? I was only playing games."_

_Tamaki's face was facing the door. He turned to Kyoya, "Who was that?"_

_Kyoya pushed up his glasses, "Emiko Morelli. She's the daughter of Leo and Aoki Morelli. They live in America, and she's currently living with the Maki family."_

_Everyone in the room silenced and was now watching Kyoya with shocked faces. He pushed up his glasses again. One of the customers managed to stammer, "The…Maki…family?"_

_Kyoya smiled, "Yes. The owners of a large company in Tokyo. _**(1)**_ They specialize in computers. They donated the computers that we use here at Ouran. It's a very powerful and very wealthy company." He paused, "Her American family isn't as wealthy, however, but she is no commoner." He smiled, "You know," he said, turning to the girl on the swim team, "you probably shouldn't have taken her things. Her uncle can get your father fired."_

_I gulped. I didn't realize that she came from such a powerful family either._

_Haruhi caught my expression and said, "You seemed to know her, Hikaru, do you?"_

_I turned away, "No…I only…I only met her today." _

I stole another glance at Kaoru, remembering the look he shot me when I said I didn't know who she was. I didn't know why I said that either, but I didn't want to tell anyone else about the plane.

Our driver opened my door, "Master…Kaoru?" he guessed.

"Hikaru." I corrected. Again.

**[RPOV -- Next Day]**

Today after the bell, I didn't turn to talk to either of the Hitachiins. After what happened yesterday, I wasn't sure I'd be able to talk to either of them.

They seemed so different.

And Haruhi was a girl. I wanted to talk to her, but she avoided me all day.

I had the cupcake dress, washed and ironed, in my backpack. I was going to return it after swim practice, and hopefully never return to the Third Music Room again.

I walked to the pool, but today I walked with confidence. All day everyone from the swim team, my class, and even some of the kids in the upper grades, was treating me well. I got the feeling that maybe my first day was some kind of initiation, and I'd never have to go through with it again.

"Hey Raine!" It was the swim team captain, Suki. She was wearing a smile, and looked completely different then the day before. She was the one in the Third Music Room the other day.

"Hi Suki!"

We got through swim practice with no problems. The other girls really started paying attention for me, which was a nice change from yesterday.

"See you later Raine!" Everyone said to me after we showered.

I waved goodbye, grabbed my bag, and headed towards the Third Music Room. When I reached the door, I hesitated. '_Should I…?'_ I decided I should, and give them back what was rightfully theirs.

"Welcome…"

Honey's eyes widened, "Look! It's Rae-chan!" He bounded up to me and gave me a hug.

I was surprised. Surprised that he hugged me and surprised that he even bothered to remember me and my name. I patted the top of his head, and turned to Kyoya, who was writing something down in his notebook.

"I, uh…came to return this…" I said, pulling out the yellow dress from my bag. I handed it to Kyoya.

He looked at it, a and asked me dryly, "Is it clean?"

"Well, yeah…I mean, I washed it last night, if that's what you meant." I rubbed the back of my head, and felt slightly offended.

"I trust you took it to a professional cleaner. Or had someone take it to a professional cleaner."

My mouth twitched, "No. I stuck it in my washer and dryer. Why would I take it to a professional cleaner? That's a waste of time and money."

Kyoya wrote something else down, "Very well, then you understand you'll have to pay for the damages that are now on the dress."

"What damages? The dress is already terrible, it's not like I can do anything worse to it."

The girls in the room looked down at their own dresses, some nodding, some with a look of insult on their faces. They looked at me and one of them remarked, "So, you do your own laundry?"

I turned to her, and noticed that her face was of genuine curiosity, as were a lot of girls around her. I let out a loud laugh, "You're joking right? Of course I do my own laundry, who ELSE would do it?"

"But I thought you were living with Han and Taro Maki."

"I am, but what difference does that make?"

Tamaki, who was in the middle of the pile of girls, stood up and strode over to me, "This rich girl has the heart of a commoner!" He declared. He looked into my eyes and held his gaze, but I turned away, feeling almost frightened just by his eyes. He smirked, "Yes, the rich girl with a commoner's heart. You really must stay here now; have you thought of which host you wanted?" He offered me a rose. I took it and blushed deeper. I wasn't used to a lot of attention. His eyes softened, "There now, you see. I see something in you. You should really stay."

I shook my head, but hesitantly, and said, "I can't. I have swim and homework and really…I mean, this whole thing isn't for me." I looked at the ground, "Sorry…" I handed the rose back and ran out, for what I thought would be the last time.

**[TPOV]**

"Do you really see something in her Tamaki?" A customer asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

I turned to her and leaned in, "Not as much as I see something in you, princess."

To be truthful, I did see something in her, but not for me. She seemed a bit lost, and it wasn't because she was new.

Through her happy exterior, I could see worry and pain behind her eyes.

I glanced at the twins, whose gazes weren't on each other. Instead, they were both watching the door.

It seems that they aren't the only ones with a barrier anymore. **(2)**

**[KPOV]**

I felt almost envious of Raine. Almost.

She came from a family who knew who she was and kept her grounded. She could put a smile on her face and be different from everyone else. She was rich and didn't act it, didn't brag about her family. It's always been a wish of mine to be a person like her.

I looked at Hikaru, who had an expression of concern. Our customers couldn't see it behind the cheerful mask he wore, but I could.

And something bothered me. The way Raine's face twisted when the boss stared at her eyes.

It wasn't a shyness that most girls had, but rather it almost seemed like she was afraid of him.

**(1): Not a real company…at least as far as I know.**

**(2): Possibly one of the only times in this fiction where Tamaki has a brain. **

**For future reference (in case you didn't already know):**

**RPOV - Raine's point of view.**

**KPOV - Kaoru's point of view.**

**HPOV - Hikaru's point of view.**

**TPOV - Tamaki's point of view.**

**MPOV - Mori's point of view.**

**KyPOV - Kyoya's point of view.**

**HaPOV - Haruhi's point of view.**

**HoPOV - Honey's point of view.**

**But most likely, I'll only end up using R, K, and H POVs with select host POVs on occasion (like this chapter!)**

**Review?**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Chapter 4**

**[RPOV]**

When I told Tamaki that I was sorry I couldn't stay, I really did feel bad. He seemed like a pretty nice guy.

I chewed on my lower lip for a little bit. I still had more questions than answers. Why was Haruhi, a girl, in the Host Club? Why did Tamaki care about me so much? Did he really see something in me? And Hikaru and Kaoru…how did they become like they did?

"Raine!" Uncle called. He was working in the garden, unlike what many people thought he did in his spare time.

My uncle, although the owner of a huge company, often acted like he was of lower or middle class. He was raised in near poverty, and his father owned the Maki company, but at the time it wasn't doing well. From what I'm told, Uncle didn't want to keep the company, but it was his father's last wish that he did. Uncle had too much respect for him to not keep it, and to his luck, the company suddenly sky rocketed. Now, it's taking over many smaller companies, and is one of the most renowned in Japan.

Uncle still had his heart of gold though, and even though he was rich now, he (and Auntie) often did many of the household chores themselves, contrary to belief.

I waved a quick 'hello' and hurried inside the house. I needed a nap.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

The next morning I was running to school, as I woke up late. I didn't want to think about what I looked like. I knew I was a mess. My shirt was untucked, my hair was full of tangles, and I was wearing mismatched socks.

"Sorry I'm late!" I shouted, opening the door to the classroom.

The teacher frowned, "I'll let it slip considering this is still your first week, just don't let it happen again."

"Right…sorry." I apologized again, sitting down.

"Well, I was just about to assign partners for your history projects." The whole class groaned, "Now, now…the assignment is simple. Pick any Japanese event, of any time at all, and write a report on it, and why it's significant. I also would like you to create a type of visual. Posters, dioramas, or a skit if you'd like. Now…" she looked down at her clipboard and started reading off partnerships I was waiting for my name for awhile before she finally said, "Morelli Raine and Fujioka Haruhi."

"What!" came the loud screams from a few jealous girls in the room.

I turned around and waved to Haruhi. She waved back weakly. I smiled, excited to finally be getting some answers.

**[HaPOV]**

When our sensei told us to start working, Raine walked over, a bounce in her step. She grinned widely at me and said a friendly, "Hello."

I know she knows, and she knows I know she knows. I smiled back, "So, Raine, what do you want our project to be on?"

She tapped her chin, "I don't know. Being from America, we only ever studied Japan when talking about World Wars and stuff…but hey, after swim and Host Club stuff, you can come over to my house and we could research. I mean…if you want."

She gave me a genuine smile, so I said, "Alright, sounds like fun."

She looked at me hesitantly, and said, "Hey, it's ok…that I know, I mean. I won't tell anyone."

I smiled, "Thanks."

"No problem."

**[HPOV]**

"Haruhi is lucky." I mumbled to Kaoru. Our teacher always partnered us up, because she finally figured out that no one could ever tell the difference, so it grew frustrating on our partners part.

Kaoru looked up from his textbook over to Haruhi and Raine, "I wonder if she knows."

"What?"

"About Haruhi."

I looked at her, and she was smiling. I caught snippets of their conversation and found out that Haruhi was going over to her house. I grinned, "You want to follow them?"

"I don't think she wants to talk to us."

I looked at Raine again. She didn't seem to be very mad, "I think she's over it."

Kaoru looked at me skeptically, "Just give it time. She'll come back to us eventually."

I blinked. Kaoru had been acting different lately, almost like a completely different person. So I asked, "Is something wrong?"

Kaoru shook his head and came out of the trance he seemed to be in, "No, I'm fine. Sure, we'll follow them." He smiled at me reassuringly.

It was my turn to look at him skeptically, but nothing seemed wrong, so I said, "Ok."

**[RPOV]**

"So…uh, this is my house." I said to Haruhi, gesturing to Auntie and Uncle's home. She looked at me, a look of disbelief on her face. I shrugged, "I come from a rich family, in case you didn't know. I'm staying with Han and Taro Maki."

Haruhi nodded and said, "Yeah…Kyoya-senpai told us that yesterday."

"How did…oh, never mind…come on, let's go in."

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

We were both now sitting in my bedroom with me hanging upside down on my bed and Haruhi at the computer. Auntie had brought in freshly made chocolate mochi **(1) **for us to snack on, but when Haruhi said she didn't like sweets, she also brought in a couple boxes of Pretz **(2)**.

"Doesn't your aunt work?" Haruhi asked.

"Mm? Well, I guess you could say she does most of her work here, since Uncle owns the company. Auntie has her own place too though…it's a small little bakery that's just down the street. Ritorusuiitsu **(3)** is the place. But since it's her own, she gets to pick her own hours and now that I'm here…she likes to be with me…" I looked down and smiled to myself.

"So…the project?" Haruhi asked.

"Right!" I exclaimed, sitting up from my bed.

"We could talk about the attack on Pearl Harbor."

I crinkled my nose, "Come on Fujioka! I've only been talking about Pearl Harbor since elementary. We can do better."

Haruhi continued to scroll through her options. She finally said, "What if we talked about Japan's first emperor, that could be exciting."

I groaned, "Yeah, but everyone does easy events like that…" Haruhi shot me a look, so I said, "Why don't you just cut loose for once and do something…fun!"

She seemed to be hurt slightly by my comment, and said, "We could do our project on a holiday."

I grinned, "A holiday! Haruhi, you're a genius! We could dress up and make food and have activities! This will be fantastic…now all we need to do is pick…"

"You remind me of someone."

I stopped rambling and turned to Haruhi, my eyes (hopefully) filled with curiosity. I sat down beside her, "Really? I remind you of someone? Who?"

Haruhi blushed and looked away, telling me never mind, it's not important.

Instead of pressing her for information on who the mystery person was, I asked, "So, why are you in the Host Club?"

**[KPOV]**

"Hikaru, I think we should stop spying." I said, "This whole idea of yours was stupid!"

Hikaru and I were currently looking (nonchalantly) through Raine's window, to see that she was talking to Haruhi. It didn't look like they were talking about the project, because Haruhi was blushing and Raine had a serious face.

"Shh!"

"But Hikaru-"

"Shh!"

Hikaru turned his attention back to the window. I glared at him, but he didn't notice. I had a feeling that if Raine caught us, we would definitely get an ear full, but Hikaru didn't seem to care very much.

"I can't hear what they're saying." Hikaru finally said, "It's like they sound proofed the wall."

"That we did." A deep voice said behind us. We turned around and was face to face to Mr. Maki himself.

**[RPOV]**

Haruhi looked at me for a long time before saying, "I have a debt to the club. I broke a vase that cost me about 8 million yen. I have an agreement with Kyoya-senpai that if I get enough customers, I won't have to worry about the debt anymore." She paused, "Kyoya's been adding to my debt since school started, so it'll take me years to pay off. I have to pretend to be a guy, since girls can't join the Host Club…and because they didn't know I was a girl at first."

"Isn't it hard to pretend to be a guy though?"

Haruhi ran a hand through her hair, "Not really. What difference to me does it make if they think I'm a guy or not? I mean…it doesn't really matter."

I stared at her with a blank look, "So what happens after you finish your debt? Are you going to magically become a girl?"

Haruhi shrugged, "To be honest, I actually like the Host Club. They're kind of like the family I never really had."

I smiled, "Well, your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks…just don't let Kyoya-senpai know. He's already going to be breathing down your neck about the dress."

"He…he was serious about that? Does he think that low of a regular washer and dryer?" Haruhi laughed along with me and I asked, "Is it different?"

"What?"

"Talking to a girl like a friend, and not like a customer."

Haruhi sucked in her breath, "I guess so. It's weird having girls fawn over me all the time though. I didn't think I'd be so popular, but I should be counting my blessings."

I nodded, "I suppose so…hey, why don't I become one of your customers, to lower your debt? And then you could come back here and we could work on your project."

"Don't you have swim?"

"Yeah, but swim lets out before the Host Club closes, so I think we'll be fine."

Haruhi smiled at me, "Thanks Raine-san."

"Just Raine. We're friends now."

Suddenly, there was a knock on my door. I pushed the mochi and Pretz aside, got into my studying position, and said, "Come in!"

Uncle walked into my room, a frown on his face. He dragged in two boys and looked at me, "Do you know these boys?"

**(1) Mochi is a snack (usually sweet) made out of rice and filling for the inside (ice cream and red bean paste are the most common) very delicious.**

**(2) Pretz is basically seasoned pretzels, and they aren't usually sweet.**

**(3) Ritorusuiitsu -- (I used an English to Romanized Japanese translator) means Little Sweets (or I hope so XD *don't speak Japanese, forgive me if I got it wrong).**

**And the voting for who Raine gets to be with is officially over. I kind of knew from the start who y'all would want, and well…yeah. I won't tell you (but I guess you could look in the review box to see for yourselves…)**

**:D Review?**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Chapter 5**

**[KPOV -- 10 minutes earlier]**

"Thanks a lot Hikaru…" I muttered. Turning to Mr. Maki, I smiled and said, "Hello Mr. Maki, I'm Kaoru and this is my brother Hikaru; we're friends with your niece, Raine."

Mr. Maki looked at us suspiciously, "How do I know you two aren't lying?"

I turned to Hikaru, who shrugged, so I answered, "Well…why don't you ask Raine herself?"

Mr. Maki grinned wickedly, grabbed Hikaru's wrist and my arm, and led us into the Maki residence.

(Fast Forward -- Normal time)

So, now being held tightly by Raine's uncle, we were face to face with Raine and Haruhi.

Mr. Maki asked again, "Do you know these boys? They claim to be friends of yours from school."

I shot Raine a pleading look. She smiled at me, although it seemed forced, and then she turned to her uncle and said, "Yes Uncle. I told them to come by this afternoon. Thank you."

Mr. Maki suddenly let go of us and his gruff look was replaced by a genuine smile. He said, "Well, I'm glad my little Raine is making friends, and with the Hitachiins?" I must've looked surprised, because Mr. Maki said, "Yes I know who your mother is, although I'm not sure which of you is which." He laughed, "Just no funny business, alright boys."

"Yes sir." Hikaru and I said together.

Mr. Maki nodded his head at us and then left the room. Raine's smile disappeared and her arms were crossed.

**[RPOV]**

Before I could ask why Hikaru and Kaoru were at my house, Haruhi asked me, "You're friends with them?"

I gave her a blank look and said, "Well…yeah. We've known each other for awhile…well, sort of anyway…it's a long story."

"But Hikaru told me that he had never met you before."

I blinked and looked at him, feeling hurt, "Gee, thanks Hikaru." I said, trying to feign a joking tone.

Hikaru looked everywhere but my eyes as he said, "Sorry Raine…it's just-"

"Don't worry about it." I said.

"But-"

"Just…why are you here? How'd you know where I live?"

He got quiet but finally said, "We followed you."

I turned to Kaoru, "You too, huh?"

Kaoru looked much more guilty than Hikaru did, sorry even. I watched both boys, who were standing awkwardly in my doorway.

"Why?" I asked.

Neither of them answered, I wasn't even sure if _they_ knew why they followed me home.

"To apologize." Kaoru finally said.

**[KPOV]**

I felt guilty about following Raine, but I'm sure Hikaru felt worse, it was his idea. And I felt even guiltier about lying to her for the reason we were there, but she deserved an apology anyway, so I didn't think there would be any harm.

"For what?" she asked blankly.

"For making you feel uncomfortable at the club the other day. Tamaki has been nagging us about it since you hadn't come back, and he thinks we're the reason you won't stay. So…forgive us?"

Haruhi stared at my eyes, almost like she was reading my mind. Sure the boss did say those things, but I was sure that she knew it wasn't the reason we were there.

Raine blushed and looked away, "It…it wasn't you guys. Don't worry about it, ok? All can be forgiven now. So…thanks for going through the trouble." She pushed a lock of her brown hair out of her eyes. She widened her arms, "Hug?"

Hikaru and I smiled and smuggled her in a hug. She laughed and squeezed us back tightly.

And I wasn't sure, but I think I felt my heart skip a beat.

**[RPOV]**

Auntie came in and coughed, "Well, look at what we have here. Raine, will I have to call your dad?"

I pushed Hikaru and Kaoru off of me and said, "No Auntie!"

Auntie laughed and said, "So, you pick out what you're going to do for your history projects yet?"

I smiled, "Haruhi and I are going to do a holiday. We don't know which one yet though."

My aunt pursed her lips and then snapped her fingers, "Why don't you guys do Golden Week or New Years. Those are pretty big holidays."

"Great idea! Thanks!" I turned to Haruhi, "You can decide what we do, ok? I can bring the stuff in. Haruhi this project is going to be so awesome!" I wrapped my arms around her in happiness. She sat there stiffly, but patted my arm.

"You sure do seem enthusiastic."

I turned to Hikaru and Kaoru and said, "Hey, what are you doing for your project?"

"We're talking about the first emperor of Japan." Kaoru said.

I chuckled, "See Haruhi, I told you everyone did that idea. But we'll have the best project in the class, you'll see!"

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

Haruhi told me I didn't have to come in to help her, but a promise is a promise, even if I really didn't want to go.

What I said to Haruhi in my bedroom made me sound pretty mighty, but the truth is I still didn't want to be there.

I sighed, "Still…I was raised to keep my word…"

I opened the door, and heard the Host Club's familiar, "Welcome."

Today they were cosplaying as…Cinderella…I think. Haruhi was in the dress, Tamaki was dressed like a prince, Honey and Mori were mice, the twins were the ugly stepsisters (but…deuglified…), and Kyoya was dressed in a blue cape and had a magic wand, perfect fairy godmother.

_You'd think if they wanted to keep Haurhi's gender a secret they'd keep her out of dresses…_

I straightened, but before I could say anything, Tamaki came over, practically jumping with every step, "So you finally decided to join us, well then, which host would you like?"

"Uh…Haruhi Fujioka."

Tamaki's face fell, but only slightly, and wouldn't have been caught by anyone else but me since I was so close, but he quickly straightened himself out and said, "Well the natural type, eh? He's right over there."

I nodded, "Thanks."

**[TPOV]**

My gaze followed Raine. I was so sure she'd pick the twins, and instead she chose my precious daughter!

"Tamaki!"

I turned my attention back to my customers, "Yes…I was just getting lost while thinking about you."

She got flustered, "Oh…well…thank you."

**[RPOV]**

After the Host Club hours were finished, Haruhi and I got up to leave, "Well see you all tomorrow!" I called out.

"Wait right there Raine." Kyoya said coolly.

I turned around, "Is something…wrong?"

"You still haven't paid for the dress."

I blinked, "Oh. You were serious?"

Kyoya nodded, "Of course I was. That will be 47,760 **(1)** yen please. It shouldn't be a problem for you, you are staying with the Maki family."

"But-but-but…I'm…gonna have to pay you back."

Kyoya smiled, "Well, you could just ask your aunt and uncle."

"I can't do that…" I said.

Tamaki suddenly changed positions, "Well then, I'm sure that Americans have heard the saying 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' You can work as our errand girl until you pay us back."

_Well…that was quite a character change._

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

And so started my days working for the Host Club. Everyday after swim I was owned by them and followed their orders. Well, it was mostly Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru's orders.

"Bring me some commoners coffee!"

"Raine, go get me some sugar."

"Raine, I need you to go to the store for me."

It was ridiculous.

By the time swim season ended about two weeks **(2)** later, I was only a few dollars away from paying off my debt when Honey called me over.

"Do you want some cake?" He asked sweetly, like he did the first day we met.

I nodded, weakly, and took some chocolate cake, "Thank you Honey."

"Rae-chan, can I ask you something?"

I was about to tell him 'no,' but Mori was standing behind him and he still scared me a little bit, "Sure Honey, what is it?"

"Do you like it here?"

"Here?"

"The Host Club, are you happy here?"

I looked around the room and smiled faintly, "I…I…just don't like being forced to be here."

Honey looked at me thoughtfully, "But would you like to stay?"

I shrugged, "I mean…I'll stay to help Haruhi, but I'll just be another customer."

Honey blinked and looked frustrated, "Are you sure there isn't another reason you want to stay."

"What reason would I have to stay?"

Honey looked at me distantly and said, "Tama-chan was the one who told me that it's ok to enjoy the things you like." He looked up at me innocently, "You can enjoy this place you know."

I smiled again, "Thank you Honey."

I started walking, swerving past other customers, and waited for Haruhi, "Let's go."

Haruhi nodded and we started walking to her house, where we would be working for the day.

And Honey's words kept ringing through my mind.

_Enjoy the things you like._

What at the Host Club could I possibly like?

**(1) 47,760 yen = 500 US dollars**

**(2) I know it makes it seem weird to have 'swim season' be like…three weeks. Don't ask. Let's just go with that it had started at the beginning of the year, so it was a longer period of time then the time Raine was on it. I need her off the team for the story to work. XD**

**So…I got a review saying Kyoya seemed really uptight. There IS a reason for this, and he'll eventually loosen up…but that happens…in the next few chapters.**

**Anyway - I have a favor to ask the reviewers. I actually got this idea reading some other fan fictions. I want you guys to send in your ideas for chapters, like if there is something you want them to experience (for example, one of my future chapters *spoiler alert* has the Host Club *and Raine* go to a theme park). I'm asking this because I enjoy writing fluff chapters and such. **

**So yeah…send in your ideas (as many as you like). :D They won't all necessarily be placed in the next chapters, but I'll try to incorporate them all (cough…within reason…cough). **

**Review?**


	7. Bonus Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Extra Note: So, the next couple of chapters will be little bonus chapters about Raine's host club adventures from when she was working there (remember, last chapter a jumped ahead two weeks, well this is the crazy hilarity that happened in those that time). Anyways, most of these chapters won't have anything to do with the main plot (a few do), but I thought they were a cute idea. **

**Bonus Chapter 1**

_Day 1 (inspired by Kylie Robbins' review)_

**[RPOV]**

I opened the doors to the Third Music Room, grumbling.

"Stupid Kyoya." I muttered.

"What was that?" Kyoya asked, now standing in front of me, smiling.

"N-nothing."

"Right. Well, as our errand girl, you'll have to follow all of our direct orders, no matter how frivolous."

I saw the twins snicker and immediately felt weak, "You're kidding, right."

Kyoya's smile answered my question.

Tamaki came up to me, "Your school uniform is no way to present yourself here at the Host Club."

"…but you have the same uniform."

Tamaki's face fell a little bit, "But…you're a girl, so you have to look different."

My mouth twitched a bit. _So is Haruhi, but she's not dressed any different. _I smiled at him, "Well what do you think I should dress in than?"

Tamaki smiled, "Glad you asked." He snapped his fingers, and the twins appeared at my side, each with a devilish grin on his face. They each grabbed one of my arms and led me to one of the doors in the room. They showed me a (quite revealing) maid's outfit, and smirked.

"No." I said sternly, glaring at each of them.

"But Kyoya-" Kaoru started.

"-said you have to do whatever we say." Hikaru finished.

_Are these the same boys from yesterday? They are completely different!_

"Hikaru! Kaoru! Leave her alone, will you." Haruhi said, walking towards us.

"But-" they both said in unison.

"Raine didn't do anything, you should just leave her alone."

The twins looked at each other and then back at Haruhi, "Well then, maybe you should wear it instead."

I coughed, "Why would a GUY wear a girls outfit, hmm?"

The twins looked at me, eyes wide. Recomposing themselves, Hikaru said, "Haruhi, you look very macho today."

_Exactly how has Haruhi's secret been kept this long?_

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

As the Host Club customers started coming in, each of the boys suddenly became sweet once more.

"Would you like some tea?" I asked a few girls at Haruhi's table.

They all nodded, and as I walked away, I heard snippets of their conversations. They were all wondering why I was working as a maid.

"It's a funny story actually." I said, serving them all some tea.

"Really? Would you mind telling us?" One of the girls asked.

"Oh, sure." But before I could continue, Hikaru called me over, demanding more sugar for his guests.

I raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, whatever you say Hitachiin."

**[HPOV]**

I was a bit disappointed that the devil wasn't enjoying herself more. I was also disappointed that she didn't want to wear the costume Kaoru and I prepared for her.

She thrust the bowl of sugar in my hands, "Hope that's enough for you."

I smirked, "Maybe you could give me a little more?" I asked suggestively.

The girls around us squealed, and Kaoru put on a hurt face, "But…but Hikaru-"

I turned to him, "Kaoru, you know that I couldn't love anyone more than you."

I heard Raine mutter, "Oh geez."

The girls at our table were watching on the edge of their seats. One of them said, "Wow, it's even more forbidden love. The rich boys with the maid." They all squealed.

Kaoru watched Raine as she started serving Kyoya and Tamaki. I touched his shoulder and said, "I hope you aren't going to leave me for her, brother."

"KAWAII!"

**[RPOV]**

After the Host Club was closed, I sat down on one of the red cushions, completely exhausted. Who knew that serving tea and sugar could be so energy draining?

It also didn't help that the twins were constantly hitting on me as well as each other. What did they think I was to them, a toy?

Tamaki suddenly stood up, "Well, Raine, tomorrow you don't have to worry about serving our guests! Instead, we're all taking a field trip from school and going to Fuji-Q Highland **(1)**, upon many of our guests' requests."

Kyoya typed a few things into his laptop, "Yes, and actually Raine, do to you being here, we've already had more guests come."

I blinked, "Really?"

Kyoya nodded, "It seems that they're all curious about the rich maid. How very interesting."

I gulped. The way Kyoya was grinning didn't settle easy in my stomach, "So…uh…how am I going to get there? Auntie and Uncle are both working tomorrow."

The twins smirked again and said (in perfect unison), "You can always ride with us."

I blushed, "Uh…thanks, but-"

"It's settled then." Kyoya said, closing his laptop, "Haruhi can go with Tamaki and I, Honey and Mori will go together, and Raine will go with the twins. Meet here at 4 am."

Everyone stood up to leave, except Haruhi. She glanced at me and gave a sympathetic smile, "So…my house for the project today?"

I nodded, feeling slightly nauseous. _Theme park…great…_

_Day 2_

As I arrived at Ouran, I felt two people tugging at my arms. Hikaru was on the right side of me and Kaoru was on the left. They were running to the front of the school, where their limo was waiting for them.

"Hey! Slow down, will you!" I said, trying to keep up with them.

When we finally reached their limo, their driver opened the door and looked at me in surprise, "Raine, right?" **(2)**

I blinked a few times before replying, "Yeah…how'd you know?"

The driver smiled, "I worked for your uncle for a little while. I saw pictures of you in his house. Sadly, this job offered more money, and I have a family of my own, you know."

"Oh…well, I'm glad you're happy." I said, smiling.

He nodded, "Master…Hikaru?" he asked Kaoru.

Kaoru shook his head and said, "No, that one's Hikaru."

"Right. My apologies."

I frowned. _I wonder how long he's been working for them…_

I climbed into the car, the twins following. I sat on one side while they sat on the other. I looked out the window as the limo pulled out of the Ouran parking lot.

"Won't you sit over here?" Hikaru asked.

I looked over, "After yesterday? No way."

"Come on!" Kaoru coaxed.

I shook my head and continued to look out the window. Suddenly, I felt two bodies being pushed up against me.

"Hey!"

Hikaru and Kaoru just hugged me tighter. Hikaru said, "If you won't come to us, we'll have to go to you."

I reddened as Hikaru came between me and the window. Kaoru drew circles on my hand and Hikaru blew into my ear.

Long story short, the ride was very awkward.

**[KPOV]**

After Raine scowled at us, she closed her eyes. She was apparently a lot more tired than we thought, because she swayed a bit, and fell into my lap.

"Looks like Kaoru has a girlfriend." Hikaru teased.

"Sh-shut up Hikaru!" I hissed, my face turning red. I knew he was only kidding, but I couldn't help but feel embarrassed that he seemed to already know that I liked her.

I looked down at Raine, noticing that her brown hair framed her face perfectly. She looked peaceful while sleeping, unlike how vicious she was a few moments ago. I smiled as my heart pounded and my face reddened all the way to Fuji-Q.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

**[RPOV]**

I felt someone nudge me and say, "Hey, Raine, wake up."

I rubbed my eyes, "Un..cle?"

There were two identical laughs. I opened my eyes and saw the twins looking down at me.

"Hey, Raine, are you comfortable?" Hikaru asked.

I shot him a quizzical look and then realized I was resting on Kaoru's lap, "Sorry!" I squeaked, my face turning scarlet.

Kaoru laughed, "Don't worry about it." I noticed his cheeks were tinted pink too, which just made me redder.

The driver came out and opened the door for us. Fuji-Q, here I come.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

The Host Club met with us at the front of the park. I have to say, it was pretty weird seeing them all in regular clothes (although Haruhi was still dressed like a guy, smart move on her part…but Tamaki is crying a bit because she doesn't look like a girl).

Haruhi also looked pretty irritated; but before I could ask her why, I remembered that she was stuck with Tamaki, who looked more like a spaz than usual, and Kyoya, who looked about ready to kill, in a car all morning. I sympathized for her.

"Ok!" Tamaki said dramatically, "First thing we'll do is hit the roller coasters!"

I paled, but before anyone could notice, I said, "But, if we do that, then everything else won't be as exciting."

Tamaki struck another dramatic pose, "Then we do everything else first!"

We entered the park, and Hikaru and Kaoru were following me not-so-stealthily. I groaned, and hoped that they wouldn't be on my tail all day.

The first thing Tamaki wanted to go on was the Merry-Go-Round. The little kids in the park laughed at all of us as they passed, saying that the Merry-Go-Round was for babies.

"Mommy!" Tamaki cried, "they're being mean to us!"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. I noticed he seemed a lot calmer now than he was a few moments ago. He sighed and said, "Yes, well, _daddy_, there isn't much I can do."

I shrugged, "Ignore them Tamaki. I like the Merry-Go-Round."

Tamaki brightened, "Really? You do?"

_What an idiot._

**[HPOV]**

"You know Kaoru, I've been wondering what that little devil is afraid of."

Kaoru smirked, "Well, the only way to find out is play-"

"The Find-Raine's-Fear-Game!" we said in unison.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow and then realization came to her. She said, "Not this again! You guys are really asking for it!"

Completely ignoring Haruhi, Tono asked, "What's the prize?"

Kyoya held up a few pictures, "How about some of Haruhi's middle school photos?"

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET THOSE!"

Well then brown haired violet eyed devil, let the games begin.

**[RPOV]**

After we took a few spins on the carousel (which Tamaki loved by the way) Honey complained that he was hungry. So, we all decided to walk around and buy amusement park food.

I bought some pink cotton candy. I turned around and was face to face with Hikaru. He wrinkled his nose, "I don't understand how everyone can eat this crap, it's-"

I cut him off by shoving a huge handful of cotton candy into his mouth, "Shut it."

He looked pretty stunned, so I took the opportunity and walked away. Unfortunately, I heard his footsteps come up from behind me, and he was soon walking besides me. He looked down at me and grinned, saying, "So, you want to check out the haunted house? I hear it's really scary!"

"I'm sure it is." I said dismissively.

"Come on," he whined, "I'll be your knight in shining armor if you get scared!"

I nodded, "Right, sure, whatever."

Hikaru grinned, and yanked me towards the haunted house, where (of course) the Host Club was already waiting.

We started walking into the haunted house, which was pretty dark. It wasn't incredibly scary though, since Tamaki wouldn't shut up. I'm pretty sure they were all trying to scare me though, since Honey kept shoving me into small spaces, Mori kept showing me sharp, pointy objects (although, with his appearance, that WAS pretty scary), and Tamaki kept pointing out blood and creepy-crawlers.

The twins were the worst of the bunch though. They would make eerie noises, jump out at me, tell ghost stories…if it was even remotely scary, they shoved it into my face.

"You won't scare me this way." I said. The twins retreated and pouted.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

After we finished walking through the haunted house, Haruhi came up to me. I started to back away, afraid that she would be a part of the Host Club's 'Try-To-Scare-Raine' plan. She smiled and said, "I won't try to scare you."

I laughed, "They're so hell-bent on scaring me. Actually, I'm surprised no one has figured it out yet, considering where we're at."

"What are you afraid of?"

An image passed through my memory. I shook it off and looked over at Dodonpa. I smiled faintly and said, "I'm terrified of roller coasters."

"You don't like the height?"

I shook my head, "No, I love being up high."

"You don't like the speed?"

"No…I actually really like going fast…I don't know why I'm afraid…I just am…you won't tell anyone, right?"

Haruhi shook her head, "But then why'd you come here? This theme park is known for its roller coasters."

"I know…but why have them know I'm afraid, eh? Besides, I'm enjoying the other rides, and I'm spending time with…well, I wouldn't call them friends exactly…"

Haurhi laughed, "I get it…although I'll have to tell Kyoya-senpai that I know your fears."

I gave her a blank look, "Um…why?"

"Because, the prize for figuring out your fear would be pictures of me in middle school."

I threw my head back and laughed, "That's what this is all about? Wow, you really must not want anyone to see you. But sure, you can tell Kyoya. And _only_ Kyoya."

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

I don't know what I was doing here.

In line.

For Fujiyama.

I either want to die young, or conquer my fears.

Although I'm not sure Fujiyama would be the best choice for the second one.

Hearing the blood curtling screams from fellow riders made my hands sweaty. Hikaru and Kaoru teased me about it being them that was causing my nervousness, and that I was falling for them. Even in my paranoiac state, I was able to slap them over the head.

But nearing the roller coaster, my heart started to beat faster.

"This is going to be great!" Kaoru said happily.

I nodded with fake enthusiasm. _It's ONE rollercoaster…come on Raine, you can NOT let these guys get the better of you. Especially ones that you now work for. Pull. Yourself. Together._

The others were in line behind us. Haruhi was giving me worried glances, as though I might get sick, and Kyoya was eyeing me oddly, as though wondering what I could possibly gain from pretending to love this. I took a few deep breaths. We were now only a few people from the front of the line.

"Tickets?" the vendor asked. Everyone handed him a ticket except for myself. He looked at me, sympathy in his eyes, "Are you feeling up to going?"

The entire Host Club was looking at me, probably wondering why I was taking so long. I gulped and looked at the ticket vendor, whose eyes were still filled with compassion. I had a feeling that there were lots of people like me.

"N-n-no…you guys go ahead, I'm not feeling too well, you know?" I said with a shaky laugh.

"But this is the BEST one!" Hikaru said, tugging on my arm, "You have to go on it."

I stiffened, "Hikaru, please let go."

"Come on Raine, don't be such a baby!" He said, a flicker of malice in his eyes.

Kaoru put his hand on Hikaru's shoulder, "Hika-"

"I don't like rollercoasters."

Now both of them were speechless. Hikaru stepped towards me, "Listen, you're fearless. Try it."

I shook my head, "I really don't like rollercoasters."

Hikaru tugged on my arm, "It's only one Raine, you won't die."

"Hikaru!"

"Just try it!"

I stumbled a bit, surprised. Quavering, I handed the vendor my ticket and got into the car. Haruhi sent me a quick look of worry. I shrugged, and put on a brave face. One coaster…it couldn't be that bad. And…maybe I conquered my fear.

I pulled the bar down and took a few shaky breaths. Hikaru was on one side of me and Kaoru was on the other. Kaoru looked a bit kinder at me, but still held the same mischievous grin as his brother.

"Don't worry Raine," Hikaru reassured me, "you'll love it."

The coaster took off, harmless at first. We went up to an almost gravity-defying height. I looked off to the side, gulping. My heart pounded at what felt to be a million miles a minute, and my hands were gripped around the restraints so hard they were white. I squeezed my eyes shut as we peaked, and took our descent.

After that, I don't remember much except me screaming.

When the coaster came back to the station, tears were flowing down my cheeks. When the bars were lifted, I tore out, ignoring all calls to me. I ran until I reached a bench at what appeared to be the complete opposite side of the park. I sat down and put my head in my hands.

**[HPOV]**

"What is your problem Hikaru?" Haruhi demanded. Raine had just left, sobbing.

"Hey, I didn't think she'd take it like that."

"You know, you've done some pretty bad things before, but that was completely uncalled for! I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to talk to you again! She's terrified of rollercoasters!"

"Then why-"

"She didn't want to look stupid! You all wanted her to go, so she did!"

Tamaki wore an expression much like Haruhi's, "How can you even call yourself a host after that!"

I didn't know what to say, so I stared at the ground, "I'm sorry, ok!"

Tamaki's face didn't soften, the way I thought it would, "You should go and tell her that."

I stole a glance at Kaoru, who was looking a bit guilty himself. I scowled, "Why aren't you yelling at Kaoru!"

_Slap!_

Haruhi was standing in front of me, "Grow up!"

**[RPOV]**

I sat, curled up on the park bench, crying. I don't know what did it, but I was just always afraid of rollercoasters. It's always been that way.

"Raine?" A soft voice asked.

I wiped one last tear from my eye and turned around, "Oh…Hikaru."

Hikaru came up to be and put his arms around me, "I'm sorry Raine. I'm so, so sorry."

Blushing, I pushed him away, "You…you don't have to apologize. I could've just walked away. It isn't your fault."

"Stop doing that."

I looked at him, confusion in my eyes, "What?"

"Stop blaming yourself. It was my fault that you went on the rollercoaster." He put his arms on my shoulders, looking at me in the eye, "Please forgive me."

I was at lost for words, so I hugged him instead, knowing that would be the answer. His warm grip on me melted away the last of my tears and anger, "Thank you, Hikaru."

**[KPOV]**

After watching Hikaru run after Raine, I knew that he cared about her, even if he didn't always show it. I watched him, wondering why he cared. Wondered if he cared like I did.

Haruhi came up behind me and said, "It's about time Hikaru grew up a little bit."

I watched as Hikaru became no more than another face in the crowd, "Yeah…I guess so…"

But even though I cared about Hikaru deeply, I wasn't sure if I'd be willing to let Raine go.

**(1): Fuji-Q Highland is a real theme park in Japan, located right around Mt. Fuji. I WILL go to this park when I visit Japan in…6 years XD.**

**(2): Fun tidbit -- I imagine him as the same driver from the prologue, so he's been working for the Hitachiin family for at least 2 years…and he still can't tell them apart. Such a shame…**

**A/N: Oh. My. God. 11 pages!! I seriously didn't think it'd be this long! Sorry if you guys don't like long chapters, because I'm pretty sure that the next few will be like this.**

**So…my new question:**

**Do you like:**

**A. Long chapters (like freaking 11 page ones like these)**

**B. Medium chapters (like around 6-7 pages)**

**C. Short chapters (like 3-4 pages)**

**And one last note (about school, so it's not really important unless you feel like being a stalker): The people (my friends) of my lunch period this term are pretty much all guys…I feel like I'm in a reverse harem…so it's such a shame that none of them are drop dead gorgeous like the Host Club (drat). Lol…ok…review, ne?**


	8. Bonus Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Bonus Chapter 2**

_Day 3 (inspired by my afternoon shopping and 'Kyoya's Reluctant Day Out' )_

**[RPOV]**

I arrived at the Third Music Room, almost dreading what I could possibly endure on my third day. After the amusement park fiasco, I considered not going back, but a debt's a debt.

"Raine!" Tamaki shouted enthusiastically, "we need you to go to the store for us."

I sighed and said, "Yeah, sure, ok…just make a list of stuff you need."

Tamaki started rapidly writing, taking down customer orders as well. I looked around the room and saw the twins, acting as if what happened the day before never went down. I sighed again.

"Here you go!" Tamaki said, thrusting a piece of paper my way.

I snatched the paper from the air and left the music room. I walked the two blocks to the (very fancy and expensive) convenience store, and began making purchases.

"Hmn…maybe I should take the Host Club shopping one day," I mused, "maybe not the grocery store though…but shopping for clothes and the like would certainly be interesting." I walked through the aisles of the store, grabbing items from the shelves.

After checking out, I hurried back to the music room, as I bought a tub of ice cream for us to enjoy since even in the middle of Fall, Japan still had warm weather.

I walked into the music room with the regular "Welcome" although, after realizing it was me, the Host Club made no effort to try and 'woo' me.

"This isn't commoner's coffee!" Tamaki said, almost in shock, "This stuff is coffee beans! How could you feed us this?"

I narrowed my eyes, "Well, maybe if you specified that you wanted already ground coffee, we wouldn't be in this mess! Besides, putting expensive foods like fancy tuna, caviar, and cheesecake made me think that you wanted classy food!"

Tamaki sighed, "It's a poor, poor thing when a maid doesn't know her boss well enough." Several of his customers shook their heads sadly.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Well, why don't you go to the stores with me next time, and maybe this won't be a problem!"

Tamaki's eyes flickered with an idea, and his whole face brightened. Mine, on the other hand, paled, and I drew back, hoping he would forget about whatever he was thinking.

"You know Raine, I like the way you think. So now, after we close the Host Club, we'll go shopping with you!"

"W-w-what! You can't be serious, I-"

Tamaki cut me off, "Can't wait! Now where's my precious daughter? Oh Haruhi!"

Haruhi turned her head away from her customers and gave Tamaki an annoyed look, "I'm kind of busy right now senpai." She turned back around an apologized to the girls at her table.

I looked at Tamaki, who looked like he wanted to sit in a corner somewhere, and laughed. He looked at me curiously, but before he could ask, I interrupted, "Precious _daughter_?"

The whole Host Club (and their customers) looked at me with shock-painted faces. The boys looked about ready to drag me out, and the girls looked confused, like everything they were ever told was a lie.

"You look so manly Haruhi!"

"Wanna play some football later man?"

I raised an eyebrow and rolled my eyes, "And I thought it couldn't get more twisted than Kyoya being considered 'mother.' Well, sorry Haruhi, I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles, you're stuck being a girl."

Haruhi shot me a grateful look as Kyoya shot me a wary one. I shrugged and then turned back to Tamaki, "Fine, we'll go shopping at Cosco **(1) **after Host Club hours end."

Tamaki and the twins (quickly breaking from their act) cheered.

_What did I get myself in to?_

**[HPOV]**

I snickered. Raine now looked as though she signed a deal with the devil.

I watched over her carefully, as she started dusting off tables and the grand piano. I turned to Kaoru as our "brotherly love" act continued.

I still couldn't help but think about her though. After what happened yesterday, I was hoping that there wouldn't be any bad air between us.

Time passed quickly as Raine moved through her chores. As we ushered our last customer out, she had just begun vacuuming when she started to sing whatever song was on her iPod.

I laughed and took out my phone. She was terrible!

"Hikaru-" Kaoru started.

I put up and hand as I continued filming Raine.

**[RPOV]**

I was vacuuming and listening to my iPod when the Host Club ended. So, between the two, it was hard to hear the guests leaving.

"And I've had time to…cuss you out in Japanese, organize my DVDs, smash my sister's violin-" I sung in English. I turned around to start vacuuming the other way when my eyes fell on to a phone pointed at me.

I quickly shut off the vacuum and took out my ear buds. Hikaru and Kaoru were both laughing so hard tears were forming in their eyes. Haruhi was trying to quiet them down and Kyoya was scribbling something down in his notebook.

Between laughs, Hikaru said, "You…are…ter…terrible!"

I reddened, "Yeah, well…I'm sure you aren't any better!" I stormed to a closet to put the vacuum away, blushing. I always knew I was a terrible singer, but at least I had the guts to sing anyways…right?

Tamaki was rushing around the music room, frantically trying to put together a 'commoner's outfit' using his cosplay clothes. I frowned at him.

"Hey, Tamaki, you can just wear your uniform…"

Tamaki was dressed in a purple shirt that was untucked, orange and white checkered pants, a pair of white platforms, a red beret, and a pink feather boa. In other words…he looked ridiculous. He stood up from where he fell over and said, "But…isn't this fitting in with commoner's?"

"No."

Tamaki sulked in his corner.

I walked over to everyone else, who was already waiting at the door, wearing their uniforms. Tamaki soon joined us, as he didn't want to be left behind and miss out on this "commoner's experience."

We also ended up taking his limo to Costco, so in my opinion it wasn't much of a commoner's experience anymore.

"Do they have cake here?" Honey asked, tugging on my skirt innocently. He was clutching Usa-chan in his free hand and opened his eyes wider in curiosity.

I nodded, "Mmhmm…and sometimes they give out small samples…well, let's go!"

I showed the man at the door my Costco membership card. He looked at our jackets warily and I could tell he was wonder why a bunch of rich teens were shopping at Costco -- the shopping center for the poor.

Once we entered, the entire group split up. Honey and Mori hurried to the pastries, Tamaki dragged Haruhi to the clothing section, and Kyoya slipped into the background and found refuge in the electronics section. Before I could run away and buy some extra groceries for Auntie and Uncle, Hikaru and Kaoru whisked me away to the movies and music section.

"Wow! They've got everything!" Kaoru exclaimed, grabbing as many DVDs as his hands could hold.

"Kaoru, check this out! Music from America, and it's so much less expensive than the mall!" Hikaru shouted, taking handfuls of CDs and throwing them into the basket.

_It's like they've never been to a department store before…_

Hikaru and Kaoru came up to me, smiles on their faces. They put a DVD in front of my face. I looked at the title, "A Tale of Two Sisters." **(2)**

They both grinned and said, "It's supposed to be really scary."

I blinked, "Uh-huh, sure." _Not again with scaring me! Wasn't yesterday enough?_

Kaoru grabbed my shoulder, "Hey, if you're thinking about yesterday…well, this has nothing to do with it. We just thought a movie night would be fun."

I chewed on my lower lip and thought about what he said. I shrugged, "Yeah, okay…a movie night does sound like fun."

"YAY!"

I grinned and was struck with an idea. I rushed to the toys and pulled out a plastic sword and eye patch, "Ay! Enguard!"

They laughed and grabbed their own swords, and we dueled in the aisles. Eventually, we caught up with Honey and Mori, who were running away from the baker (Honey apparently, thought a 'small sample' was a cake made for 10) and Tamaki and Haruhi, who were running away from a salesclerk (they apparently, don't like it when you want to try on everything in the store).

We all ended up getting kicked out (Kyoya by association), but it was still a pretty good day…considering.

_Day 4_

I was cooking. Don't ask why there's a kitchen in a music room, because that's a mystery I'm still trying to solve for myself.

"Stupid Tamaki…making me cook. My aunt owns a bakery!" I mumbled to myself, pouring the rest of the vanilla into the cookie batter. I shook my head, and ran a flour-covered hand through my hair.

I stirred the mix and listened in on the conversations from the other room. After working for four days though, I grew pretty used to it.

I blinked and gasped, "Oh! I'm not actually enjoying myself, am I?"

I dropped the wooden spoon I was using. _No…I'm not enjoying myself…_

I frowned, picked the spoon back up and continued stirring. I gave a small smile, "Yeah…I am."

As much as I hated being forced to work in the Host Club, I really was enjoying myself.

I looked out the kitchen door and my eyes fell on the twins. I bit on my lower lip and said to myself, "They're so different…so…comfortable with themselves." I blushed, "Come on Raine…concentrate on cooking."

I put the cookies in the oven. They wouldn't be ready by today, but I was going to pack them in a tin and serve them tomorrow. Hopefully, they would turn out ok.

I started cleaning the kitchen, humming to myself. I looked down and saw that the vanilla bottle **(3)** was on the floor. I wiped my wet hands off on a towel and bent down to pick it up, only to have it skid into the music room. I sighed and walked out, surprised to see that nobody except the hosts were hanging around.

I bent down, but the bottle slipped and spun around a few times. When it stopped spinning, the opening of the bottle landed on Tamaki.

I looked up at Tamaki and then back down to the vanilla bottle and my mouth twitched up into a smile. _How weird would that be? To kiss Tamaki…_

"Hey!" Hikaru said, "Raine, why are you smiling like that?"

Now everyone's attention was on me. I blushed and stammered, "O-oh…it's nothing! Really…j-just…just a game I played back home."

"A commoner's game?" Tamaki asked, eyes shining.

"Uh…I guess you could call it that." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. Haruhi looked at me strangely, and then looked down at the bottle. Her mouth formed an 'o.' Yeah, I knew she'd figure it out.

"You simply must teach it to us!" Tamaki demanded.

"Senpai, she looks tired. Maybe another-"

"Now, now, Haruhi. Your daddy knows what he's doing." Tamaki said proudly. He turned back to me, "So, what is this commoner's game?"

Everyone except Haruhi was looking at me with interest. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, "Well…it's called Spin the Bottle."

"So how do you play?" Kaoru asked.

"W-well…you um…sit in a circle…"

They sat in a circle, leaving space for me, and space for Haruhi, who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else.

"Come on Haru-chan, this game looks like fun! Don't you wanna play?" Honey asked.

Haruhi looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed. I shrugged and she sat down. I sat down next to her.

"Well…" I started, "you take a bottle and spin it…" I snagged the bottle of vanilla and placed it in the center of the circle, giving it forceful spin.

"What do you do afterwards?" Tamaki asked.

The bottle started to slow.

"Well…"

"Yeah Rae-chan? Is it like truth or dare?" Honey asked.

The bottle was almost done spinning.

"You…"

"Tell us!" The twins shouted.

The bottle stopped, pointing to Kaoru. My face reddened.

"You kiss them."

**[KPOV]**

My eyes looked at the bottle, which, no mistake, was pointed right at me. I looked back up at Raine, who was rubbing the back of her neck. She was blushing furiously, but then again, so was I.

Hikaru looked at me, trying to put on a smile, but I could see a spark of jealousy in his eyes. He laughed, "So…now you get to kiss Raine!"

Nobody else could tell his laugh was forced. I looked at him, and then I looked at Raine and said, "You…I mean…we don't have to…if you don't want to…"

She blushed harder and looked down at the ground, avoiding my gaze, "I…I…that would sort of ruin the point of the game…"

We were all completely silent. My breathing quickened and I asked, "So…you…want to?"

She licked her lips and looked up, nervousness in her eyes, "I…I guess…I guess so…"

**[RPOV]**

I didn't know what I was doing.

I hardly ever do.

All I did know what that my heart was pounding harder than it did on the rollercoaster. Kaoru was crawling over to me, almost hesitantly. He looked kind of nervous.

I wonder if it's his first kiss too.

Soon, he was right in front of me, but he wasn't leaning in. Instead, we were just staring at each other, our faces only inches apart. I could feel his breath, so chances were he could feel mind. I gulped.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, almost inaudibly.

My face reddened even more. I didn't give a response. I didn't know.

Did I want to kiss Kaoru? Sure, he was cute…but did I want to give him the satisfaction of my first kiss? Lots of girls would be lucky for an opportunity like this.

I gave a small nod, and hoped I made the right choice. Kaoru nodded back at me and slowly leaned in.

As my heart pounded, I realized I made a mistake and started leaning back, now avoiding him. He looked at me, a flash of what looked to be disappointment in his eyes. He drew back and gave me a hurt look. I opened my mouth, but saw I couldn't say anything. Instead I just looked at the ground guiltily.

But it was all just a game, right?

I got up and ran out of the third music room, leaving all my things behind.

**[KPOV]**

I watched Raine leave and felt completely rejected.

Hikaru looked at me with a look of concern, "Kaoru…it'll be ok."

"Yeah…sure…"

"Did you want to kiss her?"

I looked out the door and nodded miserably, not caring that now the whole Host Club knew about how I felt.

"Then…you should go after her."

My head snapped up and I looked at Hikaru. He looked at me, almost sadly, and said, "Go on…I made her cry once, and the best thing to do is to apologize."

"Are…are you sure?"

Hikaru nodded, but reluctantly, and I could tell that he wasn't sure. But he said, "Go on."

So I did.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

I found Raine at the front of the school. She was walking quickly, but I ran up to her and spun her around.

She blinked at me and then lunged, "I'm sorry!" she said, wrapping her arms around me.

I jumped a little, feeling surprised, "W-what for?"

She didn't answer, instead she buried her face into my chest. I moved my arms so that they were around her. We stood outside for what seemed to be minutes, but when we finally broke apart the sun was setting.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." She said quietly. I looked at her and my mouth opened to retort when she said, "I know they were. It was written all over your face." she paused, and then looked back down at the ground, "I've never kissed anyone before, so I was kind of nervous."

"Really?" I asked timidly.

She nodded.

**[RPOV]**

I looked at the ground again, finding it interesting.

"Well, are you nervous now?" Kaoru asked, surprising me.

I looked up, and suddenly realized how close we were. I blushed again, but this time there wasn't any pressure. I shook my head carefully.

Kaoru cupped my face in his hands, pulling me in closer. When he reached within a few centimeters of my face he asked again, "Are you sure?"

As a response, my eyes met with his.

Kaoru smiled slightly and leaned in, but this time I didn't lean back. A small gust of warm wind blew as my face turned slightly pink. I closed my eyes and before I knew it, Kaoru and I were kissing in the courtyard.

He pulled back and smiled at me, "Thanks." He gave a little wave and then ran back into the school, leaving me alone on the sidewalk.

I put a hand to my lips and bit them.

"You're welcome…" I whispered.

**(1) Yes, there IS actually a Costco (9 of them) in Japan.**

**(2) "A Tale of Two Sisters" has an American version called "The Univited" totally hilarious for those of you looking for a good laugh. **

**(3) The vanilla bottle is one of the giant ones, not the tiny ones. Just so you know…**

**A/N: Hooray! Oh, and this doesn't mean that this is suddenly a Kao/Rai story. No, remember, this is only bonus chapter 2/5 and then we'll have regular chapters afterwards. So…yeah XD. Don't worry Hika/Rai or Hika/Rai/Kao fans!! :D**

**Oh, and in case you were wondering about her stuff, Kaoru took it with him, but it seemed to awkward to write that in. XD**

**Review?**


	9. Bonus Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Bonus Chapter 3**

_Day 5_

**[RPOV]**

"I think we should do a tropical theme!" Tamaki exclaimed.

It was the following day, about a half hour before the Host Club opened for business. I had managed to avoid Kaoru since the day before, but if he was as embarrassed or as confused as I was, he never let on.

"Didn't we do that already Senpai?" Haruhi asked. Tamaki looked at her and then retreated to his corner.

I shrugged, "I think it'll be ok." _So long as __**I**__ don't have to wear a bathing suit…_

Kaoru grinned, "Me too." He said brazenly, wiggling his eyebrows.

My face flushed and I looked away, "M-m-maybe Haruhi is right after all…"

"Nonsense!" Tamaki said, suddenly returning.

Hikaru snickered, "Yeah, besides, I want to see you in something other than a one piece."

I blushed, remembering my first day in the Third Music Room. I covered myself self consciously and said, "I think it's a good idea if I don't have to wear a bathing suit."

"Aww…" The twins said in unison.

"But…but I'm sure Rae-chan would look cute in a bathing suit. And it'll make Kao-chan and Hika-chan happy." Honey said sweetly.

"Mitsukini." Mori said warningly.

I forced a laugh and then said, "Ok…well you know, you guys shouldn't have to go all out, you know? Maybe we could take the guests to a huge pool and have a swimming party or something."

Tamaki's eyes lit up, "Mother?"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses and said, "Well…it's definitely cheaper than taking them all to the beach…"

"So that's a 'yes'?" Tamaki asked.

Kyoya closed his notebook and smiled, "Certainly." He turned to me, "You know, you should stay around, you definitely have enough ideas."

I grumbled, "Sure…whatever."

So, we sent out the announcement that we were going swimming at the pool. Kyoya, of course, rented out the entire facility so we'd have it for ourselves.

I glanced over at Haruhi, and wondered what she was going to do. I watched the other members of the Host Club, and wondered if they were going to ever tell me that she was a girl.

"Hey Haruhi."

"Hey Raine."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"About?"

"The bathing suit thing."

"Oh. Well, last time I went to the beach I wore shorts and a sweatshirt. I think I'll do that again."

I paused, "You don't want to go swimming do you?"

She shrugged, "I guess, but I think you got bigger problems."

I tilted my head to the side, "What problems?"

Haruhi laughed, "Hikaru and Kaoru's mom is a fashion designer."

"And?"

"They're going to try and force you into a bathing suit their mom made."

"WHAT!"

"Yeah…they tried it on me once…and then Tamaki said that there was no way his 'precious daughter' could dress in such a way."

I laughed. Then looked at Haruhi, "Do you like him?"

"Who?"

"Well Tamaki of course!"

Haruhi waited a few seconds before answering, "He's just my senpai."

"Oh, Raine!" Hikaru called.

"We have a surprise for you!" Kaoru followed up.

I glanced at Haruhi, who gave me a sympathetic smile, and then faced the twins, "Um…surprise?"

They both grinned evilly and grabbed my arms, simultaneously, they said, "Try these on!" They shoved me into a nearby dressing room and then closed the door.

I glanced down and saw three different bathing suits. I coughed and dropped two. The one in my hand was a bright purple and pink rose bikini. I blinked and dropped it, then picked up a blue tankini top and blue tie-dye bottoms. I shrugged and threw it aside. Then I picked up a red sparkly halter swim top with matching bottoms. I smiled.

"Guess they know me better than I thought." I mused.

"Are you done yet!" I heard them whine from outside the door.

I pulled on the swimsuit and looked at myself in the mirror. I smiled at myself. It fit my shape nicely.

I walked out of the dressing room, smiling. Walking right past the twins, I grabbed my bag and dismissed the stares from everyone else. When I reached the door, I turned back, "Well, are we going?"

**[HPOV]**

I smiled at Kaoru, who was blushing.

"Well, mom's done it again." I said mischievously.

Kaoru nodded and grinned at me, "Well Hikaru, want to have some fun?"

"You had your fun yesterday Kaoru."

Kaoru suddenly frowned and said, "Are you jealous Hikaru?"

I stumbled backwards, "What? Me, jealous?"

Kaoru nodded slowly, and walked ahead of me. I watched him leave and I clenched my fists.

_Jealous? Me? I'm Hikaru Hitachiin! I don't get jealous._

I looked over and saw Kaoru laughing with Raine and I looked away and narrowed my eyes. I loved Kaoru, more than anyone, but I didn't want to see him with Raine. And I didn't want to see Raine with anyone else either.

_Maybe Kaoru was right…maybe I am jealous._

"Hikaru!" Raine called, "Limo's here!"

**[RPOV]**

The limo arrangements were the same as the amusement park. Why Kyoya thought this was a good idea, I'll never know. All I did know was that I was stuck in a limo with Hikaru and Kaoru.

In my (well really their mom's) bathing suit.

How very awkward.

"Ahem…" I said aloud, "How's everyone's day?"

Kaoru raised an eyebrow, "Well, considering you ignored us the whole day…"

Hikaru continued, "It wasn't very good. Hey Kaoru, maybe we'll have to play a punishment game so she won't ignore us anymore."

I gulped, "Heh…right…well…"

The twins looked at each other with devilish grins, and then gave me one as well. I recoiled in my seat and shivered, wishing I brought my jacket along.

They moved over from their side of the limo and each slipped into either seat beside me. I groaned as their arms intertwined with each others around me.

"Cut that out!"

"Not a chance." Hikaru said, holding me tighter.

_Well,_ I thought, _at least the pool isn't THAT far away._

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

When we finally arrived, I thought I would be free and I could swim with the guests. Instead, Kyoya was either having me run around handing out towels or Kaoru and Hikaru were having me teach them some kind of stroke.

"Why don't you just show us?" Kaoru asked.

I looked at him, but sighed, and did a cannon ball into the water, spraying some of their guests. I laughed a little bit, but none of them looked too happy with me. Whoops.

So after teaching everyone the dog paddle, the dead man's float, the butterfly stroke, and the front and back strokes, I was exhausted.

I pulled myself out of the pool, and walked over to Haruhi's table. Her customers were begging her to go swimming with them.

"Sorry ladies," Haruhi apologized, "but I'm not a very good swimmer."

"I'll give you mouth to mouth if you drown!"

"I got you Haruhi!"

"Raine could teach you, I learned today!"

I sat down by Haruhi and smiled at the girls, "Listen girls, Haruhi isn't much of a water person, but he wants you to enjoy yourselves."

They all exchanged glances and giggled. Then they nodded and dipped their feet in the water. Soon, Haruhi and I were the only ones not in the pool.

"So Haruhi, maybe this weekend we can go swimming."

Haruhi smiled, "Yeah, I think I'll ask my dad."

"Hmn…it's nice…to swim I mean…but gosh it was like none of them had even seen water, let alone be ready to swim in it!"

"That's rich people for you…oh, I mean-"

I put my hand up, "It's alright. I have no money…it's all Auntie and Uncle's. No dime to my name. So don't worry, I feel the same way."

I watched the people of Ouran swim around and found my attention was pulled to Hikaru and Kaoru. Neither of them had swum a lot until today. Kaoru caught on quickly, and was still trying to help Hikaru stay afloat. I chuckled.

I turned my attention to Tamaki, who was paddling along like it was nothing to him. And of course Mori and Honey were strong swimmers as well. Kyoya was trying to write in his notebook (as usual) without getting splashed, but it wasn't working so well. I grinned and hid my face in my hands.

"Hikaru!"

My head shot up and I searched around. Kaoru's eyes were wide and the girls around the pool had looks of fear painted on their faces. My eyes drifted over to the deep side of the pool, a place where no weak swimmer should travel.

And then there was a glint of orange-auburn hair.

Without thinking, I rushed towards the deep end and dived in. Upon opening my eyes, I saw Hikaru slowly sinking to the bottom. I swam deeper and caught him in my arms, then swam back up to the surface.

I kicked my way to the shallow end, and everyone moved to make room for me. Still holding Hikaru, I dragged him to the side of the pool and pressed my head against his chest, and put my fingers on his wrist to check for a pulse. There was one, but he wasn't breathing.

My own breath caught in my throat and I swallowed back tears.

I pinched his nose and quickly gave him CPR. The girls around me watched in amazement, some whispering about how I was coming in between Hikaru and Kaoru's relationship. I tried to block out the noise and concentrated on getting Hikaru to open his eyes, which he finally did, but weakly.

"R…Raine?" he asked, sitting up.

I threw my arms around him and tears fell out of my eyes, "Don't be so stupid next time you swim."

Hikaru pulled me in closer, "Promise."

"Well," Kyoya said, coming up to us, "I think that finishes the Host Club activity for today. We'll see you all again tomorrow."

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

I was in the Hitachiin limo, and their driver was taking me home (he, apparently, still remembered the way). I was looking out the window and thinking about everything that happened at the pool.

Hikaru…

I swallowed. Did this mean that I liked Hikaru? Yesterday I thought I liked Kaoru…and now…

"You know Raine…" Hikaru started. I turned my attention to him, so he continued, "You kiss pretty well having only kissed Kaoru before."

My face turned pink and I looked away, feeling embarrassed. Then something clicked and my head shot up again, "I saved you! I didn't kiss you! It was CPR!"

"You know you kissed me."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"I didn't exactly want you to die, okay!"

"I never was."

I blinked in surprise, "Wh-what?"

Hikaru smirked, "I wasn't actually drowning. And I was holding my breath."

The limo suddenly stopped. I looked out the window to see that I was home. I glared at Hikaru, "You're such a jerk! I really thought you were close to dying Hikaru!"

"So that means you care about me?"

"It doesn't matter! If it was you or someone else, I would've done the same thing." I shook my head and stepped out, "I can't believe you tricked me!" I slammed the door shut and stormed into my house, not bothering to say 'hello' to Auntie or Uncle.

**[KPOV]**

After the limo started moving, I turned to Hikaru and said, "That wasn't very nice."

"Not you too."

"Hikaru, I think you should go apologize."

"Why? I didn't do anything wrong! I wanted to prove that she cared about me-"

"She already did, Hikaru!"

Hikaru looked away from me and said quietly, "I just wanted her…to…just…"

"Like you? Accept you?"

Hikaru hesitated, but nodded his head. I groaned and looked out the opposite window before saying to him, "Like I said, she already did. If she didn't care about you or me then she wouldn't bother learning how to tell us apart."

Hikaru stayed silent.

I continued, "You should probably go back and apologize."

Hikaru looked at me and bitterly replied, "Yeah, okay."

When we reached the Hitachiin mansion, I got out of the limo while Hikaru stayed behind and gave orders to the driver to go back to Raine's house.

As I watched the limo drive away I was saddened, and a little bit jealous myself.

**[RPOV]**

"I will never speak to Hikaru Hitachiin for as long as I live!" I screamed.

"Really? Because for as long as you live is pretty long." Auntie said, coming into my room. She held out a mug of hot chocolate and smiled at me.

"I just can't believe he tricked me is all."

Auntie ran a hand through my brown hair and pushed it out of my eyes. She smiled faintly and said, "Well, sweetheart, that's life. And…Hikaru seems like he cares about you a lot. He certainly drops by the house enough."

"He…does?"

Auntie threw her head back and laughed, "At least three times a day. We catch them on security cameras. He comes with his brother…or maybe the brother IS Hikaru…oh…I'm losing it; can't even tell the difference."

"Not a lot of people can."

"Well, Rae, what I'm saying is that maybe he just wanted your attention."

"But he doesn't have to try to get my attention, he already has it!"

"Oh, really?" Auntie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Wha…well…I…I mean…well what I meant was-"

"It's okay to like him."

I groaned and fell onto my back. I stared at the ceiling and then said, "But I don't like him…at least…well…I don't know!" I paused, and then said, "I kissed Kaoru yesterday."

My aunt smiled, "Was he your first?"

I nodded, and my uncle walked in. He looked at me sternly and said, "What's this I hear about kissing?"

Auntie shushed him and said, "Taro, be a dear and go get some ice cream from the freezer."

Uncle grumbled, but left. Auntie turned to me and squeezed my hand. I said to her, "I'm glad he was my first. He was gentle."

Auntie beamed, "Well, I'm happy to be here for this moment."

"And then I gave Hikaru CPR…so now he thinks I kissed him, because it was all just a joke and now I'm confused and I don't know what to do!" I blurted out.

Auntie's smile faded and she said, "Look, it's a new school. New boys. Give it some time, of course you'll fall in like with a lot of them. Trust me, Ouran boys are probably the cutest in Japan."

"Gee…thanks…"

There was a knock on my door. Auntie called for them to come in, thinking it was just Uncle. And it was…but with Hikaru.

"Raine, is there a reason this boy was sneaking around?" Uncle asked jokingly.

I shook my head, but in surprise. Auntie looked at me and I mouthed 'Hikaru' so she nodded and quickly ushered herself and Uncle out of my bedroom.

I motioned for Hikaru to come sit next to me. He did.

At first, neither of us said anything. My mouth tightened, and I looked around my room, trying to figure out something to say as an ice breaker. But I didn't have to, because Hikaru said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For…playing a trick on you earlier. You…didn't deserve it."

"Thanks." I said shortly. "But…why'd you come right away? Why didn't you wait until school."

"Because…because I didn't want to make you wait for something I should've said awhile ago."

His answer took me by surprise and I looked at his eyes for any signs of falsehood. There were none.

"Thank you." I said softly.

Hikaru opened his arms up for a hug. I fell into his arms and we were held in an embrace for a few minutes, until Hikaru pulled back. Then, we were just staring at each other.

My heart started pounding and my palms started sweating as Hikaru leaned in and kissed me forcefully, pushing me down on my back. It was then I realized that I was kissing him back.

He pulled back and smirked, "Devil." Then he winked, kissed my forehead, got off my bed, and walked away.

_Wh…what did he do that for!_ I thought.

I then climbed into bed, closed my eyes, and tried to sleep, but my heart was pounding to wildly.

_Day 6_

I was serving cookies when it happened.

There was a dark laugh, and all the lights went out. A few girls screamed and hid behind their host, but I raised my eyebrow and pulled out my phone, lighting up the room a little bit.

A doorway I didn't know was in the Third Music Room opened and out stepped a boy (well, I think it was a boy, it was dark and hard to tell) dressed in a cloak.

"Morelli Raine!" He called.

"Y-y-yes?" I asked, stepping forward to him.

"I'd like to extend an invitation to the Black Magic Club."

Tamaki gasped and stepped in front of me, "We don't have anything to do with your club!"

I pushed Tamaki out of the way, "Tamaki, don't be rude. Who are you?"

"My name is Umehito Nekozawa, and this is my accursed puppet, Belzeneff." Nekozawa lifted his right hand to show a yellow cat puppet.

I grinned, "Aw, it's so cute!"

Nekozawa recoiled, "It's not supposed to be cute!"

"But it is…"

"Well, are you interested in buying Belzeneff, the accursed wooden doll?" He asked, holding out a wooden cat, "If you write someone's name on the back of it, they will be cursed eternally."

I blinked and then laughed, "You really believe in that?"

Before I could say anything else, Tamaki stepped in my way. He was shaking and said, "N-Nekozawa…w-we are n-n-not int-interested in b-buying such things!"

Suddenly, two bright lights shone on Nekozawa's face. He put his hands up and took a few steps back.

I looked over to see that Hikaru and Kaoru were shining flashlights in our direction. I narrowed my eyes and said, "Hey! Cut that out, what did he ever do to you?"

"We just want to introduce him to some light!" They both said defensively.

Haruhi came up behind them and grabbed the flashlights, turning them off, "That's enough Hikaru and Kaoru."

"But Haurhi-"

Haruhi walked away and I turned back to Nekozawa to apologize, only to see that he left. The lights came back on, and all the girls were chattering amongst themselves.

"How creepy…"

"Raine! You must promise that you will NEVER get involved with the Black Magic Club!" TAmaki said.

"Um…why?"

He gasped, "Because! I ran into their voodoo magic before, and it's evil!"

I blinked, "Right…"

And the rest of the day went on as normal.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

"Nekozawa?" I called.

The Host Club had just ended and Haruhi was waiting for me out front. I told her I left something in the classroom, but I really just wanted to apologize for earlier.

"Nekozawa!" I called again.

There was a low chuckle, and in the shadows, I saw the boy with the cloak. I walked over to him and smiled.

"I wanted to say sorry about this afternoon."

"So you're considering the Black Magic Club?"

I jumped back and rubbed the back of my neck, "Well I wouldn't say that exactly. But I don't know what came over everyone today. So…sorry."

Nekozawa gave a half smile and then handed me a Belzeneff wooden curse doll. He said, "Take it. You might need it."

I nodded, and put it in my backpack, "Sure thing."

**[HPOV]**

I climbed into the limo with Kaoru following shortly after. We sat on our separate sides and didn't say much for awhile.

"So…" Kaoru started, "I meant to ask you last night…how did apologizing to Raine go?"

I sucked in my breath, because I knew he was going to ask soon, "Well…she forgave me."

"Yeah…but what did you do?"

"I apologized."

"But how?"

I looked out the window. It was the first time I had kept a secret from Kaoru. Ever. I didn't respond at first, but I knew Kaoru was waiting, so I said, "I just said 'sorry' and she forgave me."

"It wasn't more than that?" he asked suspiciously.

I shook my head, "No. It wasn't."

**[KPOV]**

I knew Hikaru was lying to me. He's my brother, I knew everything about him.

So I felt betrayed that I told him about kissing Raine when he wouldn't tell me anything. I swallowed and looked out the window, avoiding his gaze.

I knew he felt bad about lying, I could tell that much. But I wasn't going to call him out on it.

Instead, when we got home, I got out of the limo, smiled at Hikaru, and asked what he wanted for dinner. Not once did I let on how hurt I was.

**[RPOV]**

"You get what you need?" Haruhi asked.

I nodded, "Yep."

We started walking towards my house when Haruhi asked, "How do you feel about Hikaru and Kaoru?"

I froze, "W-wh-what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said."

I started walking again, but this time I looked at the ground, "Well…I don't…I don't know exactly."

Haruhi looked at me thoughtfully and said, "I'm pretty sure they like you."

I blushed, but didn't look at her in the eye, "That's what my aunt says too."

Haruhi nodded and we walked in silence for a few minutes before she said, "I think you like them too."

I chewed on my lower lip and said, "I kissed both of them."

Haruhi looked at me surprised and said, "And…?"

"I…I think I…I think I do like them…both of them…a lot."

Haruhi nodded again and said, "So…what are you going to do?"

"I…I don't know."

We reached my house and I unlocked the door. Haruhi and I put the finishing touches on our project and neither of the twins came up in conversation again.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

That night I took out my wooden doll and put him on the dresser next to the picture of my parents and my copy of _Harry Potter_. I smiled and sat down on my bed.

"I don't think I'll need that curse doll, but hey…Halloween is coming up pretty soon." I yawned, "I think this'll be the start of a beautiful prank."

**A/N: o.o My longest chapter of this story to date!! XD Yay!**


	10. Bonus Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Bonus Chapter 3**

_Day 7 (inspired by Generic Cat Girl's review)_

**[RPOV]**

After a week of agonizing work went by, it was finally time for Haruhi and me to do our project presentation for the class. We decided on talking about shogatsu **(1)**. Last night we were cooking toshikoshi soba **(2)**, osechi ryori **(3)**, otoso **(4)**, and ozoni **(5) **until nearly midnight. Auntie said it was a project well done, and if we didn't get an 'A' for all our work, she'd come in and demand one from my teacher.

For some reason, that didn't exactly put me at ease.

I also had to get to school by car, since I had so much to carry. Uncle insisted on taking the limo, since he had yet to take me in it.

"I thought you weren't into flashy things."

Uncle's face lit up, "I'm not girly, but I do love to go for the occasional ride in the old girl."

There's my uncle for you. Head of a computer company, but only interested in cars.

We picked up Haruhi on the way to school, and I was pretty sure she was going to faint when she saw the limo at her doorstep.

"You didn't have to go through all the trouble."

"Nonsense!" My uncle called.

Haruhi smiled a bit and then said, "Are you ready for the presentation?"

I gestured to the bags of food, clothes, and props, showing her that I was more than prepared.

She laughed and ran a hand through her hair, "I know we've got everything set to go, but I can't help but shake the feeling that something is going to happen."

I shrugged, "Let it go Haruhi, I think you're just second guessing yourself…and my auntie's cooking!"

Haruhi laughed again and we continued the ride in a comfortable silence.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

"Have a nice day girls…I mean Raine. And Haruhi, no funny business with my niece, you hear!"

"Yes Maki-san." Haruhi said, suppressing a grin. I had already filled Uncle in on Haruhi's situation, and how she couldn't dress like a girl. He just laughed and said it was an interesting story.

"Call me Uncle." Uncle said with a wink.

Haruhi nodded, "Yes Uncle."

"That's what I like to hear. Well, off to work then. See you when I get home sweetie." Uncle said, rolling up the window. He waved one last goodbye and drove off, honking at the other limos to get out of his way.

"Your uncle seems really nice."

I smiled, "He is. Auntie Han couldn't have picked a better husband."

"HARUHI!"

Haruhi and I turned to see an overly excited Tamaki and an overly exasperated Kyoya walking in our direction. I put the bags of presentation stuff on the ground and waved while Haruhi just hid her face in her hands.

"How is my wonderful daughter doing today?"

"What do you want senpai?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"Because, we don't usually talk this early in the morning."

Tamaki started babbling about how he didn't get to see his daughter enough, and I figured that Haruhi could use some time alone with him, so I grabbed our presentation and started to walk away. I remembered I still had Haruhi's costume with me, so I pulled out her kimono (a boy's kimono by the way) and ran back, handing it to her, "Here's your kimono Haruhi. Don't forget to change before class."

"Oh, my daughter wearing a kimono, what for?" Tamaki asked with genuine curiosity.

"It's nothi-"

"We're making a presentation in class today," I interrupted, "It's on Shogatsu. We're going to dress up and serve food and talk about when it was established and stuff."

Tamaki's face lit up, "Can I come in and help?"

"N-"

"Sure!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down, "you can dress up too if you want. Uncle packed a few different kimonos in case Haruhi didn't like the one I gave he-him."

Tamaki smiled brightly, "Then I'll meet you in class 1-A exactly twenty minutes after the bell."

I nodded, and handed Tamaki a kimono. He shook his head and said that he had his own in the Third Music Room. He grabbed Kyoya and ran away.

I looked over at Haruhi, who looked like she was about to kill somebody. I gulped and asked, "What?"

"I thought you didn't like him."

I looked over my shoulder to see him still running, "Well…I don't like working for him. But he seems so excited, and we could use the extra help…besides, I don't think you really mind all that much that he's coming."

Haruhi's face tinged pink, but she shook it off, "Well I do mind. You don't know him well enough. He's going to get Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, and Kyoya-senpai into helping and because their helping, Hikaru and Kaoru will throw a fit because we didn't include them, and all our work will just blow up in our faces."

"You seem pretty sure that's how it's going to turn out."

"Trust me, I know them."

I shrugged, "Well it's too late now. Besides, I think we can handle it. Girl power, you know?" I giggled and started walking towards the classroom.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

We were standing at the front of our class, dressed and ready to go. I looked at Haruhi, who had paled a bit since we started setting up. I gave a sympathetic smile and asked, "You nervous?"

She swallowed and shook her head, "No…I'm more worried about you. You have to do most of the talking. Aren't you nervous?"

I shrugged, "I like attention. I think it'll be ok."

"Are you ready?" Sensei asked.

We nodded.

I stepped forward and began to speak, "Shogatsu is the most important holiday in Japan. Most businesses shut down from January 1 to January 3, and families typically gather to spend the days together. Years are traditionally viewed as completely separate, with each new year providing a fresh start. Consequently, all duties are supposed to be completed by the end of the year, while bonenkai parties **(9)** are held with the purpose of leaving the old year's worries and troubles behind."

Haruhi stepped forward with the bag and began to speak as well, "Homes and entrance gates are decorated with ornaments made of pine, bamboo and plum trees, and clothes and houses are cleaned." Haruhi pulled out a few pine needles, a piece of bamboo, and a duster. The glass laughed.

I continued, "On New Year's eve, toshikoshi soba, which symbolize longevity, are served. A more recent custom is watching the music show "kohaku uta gassen", a highly popular television program featuring many of Japan's most famous J-pop and enka singers in spectacular performances." I pulled out a pot of toshikoshi soba and began to serve some to each student.

Haruhi smiled. I could tell she was getting into the project. She pulled out a poster sized picture of a sunrise and began to explain, "January 1 is a very auspicious day, best started by viewing the new year's first sunrise-"

"Did somebody say sunrise?"

The whole class turned towards the door to see Tamaki, Kyoya, Honey, and Mori dressed in kimonos and smiling. They walked into the classroom.

Sensei looked at me quizzically and I nodded, "Tamaki! You're here!"

"Of course I am. No project can go along without me."

A few girls in the class began to swoon and I mentally rolled my eyes. Haruhi scuttled as far away from the Host Club as she possibly could. The class started talking amongst themselves and I knew I'd have to do something to get their attention.

"Right, so the sunrise traditionally believed to be representative for the whole year that has just commenced. Therefore, the day is supposed be full of joy and free of stress and anger, which is why I decided to bring the Host Club here, as they reduce stress and anger for the whole year!" The class laughed again. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Then why didn't you ask us?" Hikaru asked.

Why did he have to ask? "Because…you're in the class, and you need to pay attention for this project."

Hikaru muttered something and slumped in his chair. I grit my teeth and wondered why he was being such a child.

Haruhi motioned to the other food I had set out, and I continued, "During Shogatsu, many other foods are served besides the toshikoshi soba. These include Osechi ryori, otoso, and ozoni. I've prepared these for you to try as well, along with a few sweets I thought you'd all enjoy."

"Yes and Raine here is a wonderful chef!" Tamaki boasted, "She often cooks for the Host Club-"

"Yeah!" Honey interjected, "She makes me and Usa-chan cakes and cookies and she even reminds me to brush my teeth!"

Haruhi stepped forward and cut them all off, "Shogatsu is also a time for friends, and many cards are sent during the holiday." she pulled out a few cards from the bag and handed them to each host member, who looked delighted.

"Why don't we get one!" Hikaru demanded.

"Aren't we your friends Haruhi?" Kaoru asked.

"I told you this would happen." Haruhi muttered.

I laughed, "Of course you guys do!" I pulled out two more cards from the bag (I had personalized them before class just for Hikaru and Kaoru. Call it paranoia, but after Haruhi said they'd cause a big fuss, I took precautions.).

Kaoru said "Thanks" and Hikaru just stared at me begrudgingly before finally snatching the card from my fingers. I smiled and went back up to the room.

"Many games are also played on January 1. There's hanetsuki **(6)**, takoage **(7)**, and karuta **(8)**, plus many more, but I'm sure you guys already know that." More chuckles.

"Yes! Commoner's games are a favorite of mine to play in the spirit of the New Year!" Tamaki exclaimed, "Raine, you simply must play with me this year!"

I gave a half smile, "Maybe if we're still on speaking terms Tamaki."

Hikaru snorted and said, "Tono, I think that's her way of saying not in a million years."

I paled. He did NOT just say that…

Tamaki looked at me as his smile disappeared, "I think Raine WOULD like to play commoner's games with me."

"I don't think she even wants your help!" Hikaru shot back.

"Hika-" Kaoru started.

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

Haruhi gave me a sideways glance and even though she didn't say anything, I knew she was thinking 'I told you so.'

"Raine isn't your play mate!" Hikaru yelled, getting up out of his desk.

I looked over at sensei, but she was just watching the scene with a blank stare, almost afraid of what would happen if she interrupted.

"You're one to talk!"

"Come on Raine, you aren't going to listen to this idiot!"

"Raine, I don't know what you see in them!"

"WHAT!"

Then all I remember is all the food I prepared being thrown around the room.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

_Morelli Raine and Fujioka Haruhi-_

_Although your presentation started out very solidly, I must advise you not to bring in others for…help. _

_However, I see that you did your research and you did go through a lot of trouble._

_I'm willing to give you a B-. This is very generous considering the circumstances._

_-Sensei_

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

"Cheer up Haruhi!" I said, trying to lift Haruhi's spirits.

"I've never gotten a B on anything, let alone a B-!"

I sighed, "Look, good grades aren't exactly my thing. Trust me, my parents would flip if they found out, but one B will not ruin your scholarship here! I promise."

Haruhi just sulked, "And now I have to pay to replace your uncle's kimono."

I sighed, she was right. I knew Uncle wouldn't have minded if any of the others had gotten food on them, but Haruhi was wearing his favorite one, and I knew he would be mad when he found out.

"Listen, don't worry about it! I'll do extra chores around the house until I can pay for professional cleaning expenses. You have enough to do here at the Host Club."

"Don't you have enough to do at the Host Club."

I shrugged, "I make enough here to be able to pay off my own debt in a matter of days. Don't worry Haruhi, everything will be fine."

I could tell she didn't believe me. But then Tamaki came and apologized and even paid for the ruined kimono.

**[TPOV]**

Raine stared blankly at the money I was handing her, "You don't have to pay for it. It wasn't your fault."

"I won't hear of it." I said, "A gentleman always pays for the ladies."

"How many times have you used that line?" she asked.

"Only once."

"Don't try and woo me Tamaki. I know you got your eyes on someone else."

"Who?" I asked, feeling confused.

Raine laughed, "Don't worry. I think you'll figure it out soon enough."

I let Raine go home early, which she was happy about. I think she deserved it, and now Hikaru wasn't speaking to her, so neither was Kaoru.

Why?

I sat on the couch and wondered what she did now.

"Hello senpai." Haruhi said, sitting down next to me.

"Oh…hello Haruhi, I thought you left already…with Raine."

She shook her head, "No. I decided to stay today. I think she needs to think right now."

I nodded, "With her around nothing seems to be the same anymore."

Haruhi nodded, but hesitantly, and then asked, "Hey senpai, earlier this morning, during our presentation…you said to Hikaru…you said, 'I don't know what she sees in you.' Were you talking about Raine?"

I nodded.

Haruhi smiled, "Good, then you aren't as big of an idiot as we all thought."

"What? Is my precious daughter turning against me? Calling her daddy an idiot!"

"I already have a dad senpai. And it's a good thing you figured it out, because Hikaru and Kaoru haven't." She paused, "I know they like each other…but this whole week has been crazy."

Haruhi stood up and grabbed her things, "I think the twins and Raine need each other, but they just can't see it yet." She fixed her book bag, and then left me in the Third Music Room with my thoughts.

And a light flutter in my stomach.

**[HPOV]**

"Hikaru, what was that all about?"

"What was what all about?"

Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

I sighed, "I'm just mad because she didn't ask us to help."

I was sitting on our bed in our room. Kaoru was sitting at the computer, playing solitaire while talking to me. He exited his game and faced me, "Hikaru, were you jealous because she asked Tamaki to help?"

I looked away, "Don't tell me you aren't upset too."

Kaoru laughed, "I'm way better at controlling my emotions than you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You see. You get defensive way too easily. I don't think Raine had any bad intentions by not asking us to help her out."

I sighed again, "But Kaoru-"

"But nothing Hikaru. You better apologize. This is the third fight you've gotten into this week!"

"She started it."

"You started it."

"Since when are you on her side?"

Kaoru looked away. I bit my lip and felt guilty, but it was true. Kaoru was taking Raine's side and it wasn't fair.

I pulled out the card Raine gave me. It was crumpled and shoved into my pocket, but I smoothed it out. It was a picture of a kitten and a mouse. The inside of the card (written in poor Japanese) said:

Hey Hikaru, I know it's not really New Year, but Happy Today!

X's and O's, your 'toy' Raine.

PS. You're the cat ;-)

I sighed, and threw the card aside. It was stupid anyways.

**[KPOV]**

I glanced over and saw Hikaru toss his card from Raine aside. I pulled mine out of my pocket. It was still neatly folded.

Hey Kaoru!

I know it's not New Year for awhile, but for my project, I hope you'll take this card.

Sing the song of your heart…sounds so profound, doesn't it?

X's and O's, your friend, Raine.

The card was a picture of a sparrow on a cherry blossom tree. I frowned at it, and thought about what Hikaru said. Was I really always taking her side?

"I'm sorry Hikaru."

Hikaru smiled a bit and then said, "Forgiven."

I looked back down at the card and wondered 'Is she worth the trouble?'

Day 8 (inspired by OhMyGoshickles review)

**[RPOV]**

"Do I have to go?"

"Yes."

"Ok…but do I REALLY have to go!"

"Do you want Kyoya to indebt you even more?"

That shut me up.

Ever since my presentation in class yesterday, Hikaru and Kaoru had been avoiding me. Well…Hikaru has. Kaoru more or less just follows his brother around and gives me pity glances every now and again.

I don't even know what I did this time!

"I think he's just jealous that you asked Tamaki-senpai and the others to help out and not him."

"Oh…sorry, was I speaking out loud?" I asked.

Haruhi smiled, "Yes. Don't worry about it. Hikaru is just like this."

I sighed, "Well I wish he would stop. It's hardly been a week and already we've fought like three times!"

Haruhi shrugged, "You really shouldn't have come to the Third Music Room that day."

We continued walking in silence. When we finally reached the doors, I said, "No…I think I should have."

Haruhi just smiled like she knew something.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

"Raine!" Kyoya called.

"Yes?" I asked tensely. In the past hour I've been asked to go down to the market (twice), make ramen and instant coffee (three times), dust the piano, and clean the windows.

"Will you please vacuum?" He asked coyly.

"But…won't that bother the customers?"

He smiled, "Don't worry about it, a child of the Maki family vacuuming and doing other household chores is brightening their spirits. They won't mind."

"You sound like you have something else planned."

"I assure you, I know of no other plans."

I eyed him suspiciously, but he just went back to scribbling in his notebook. I sighed and walked to the Third Music Room's closet for the vacuum.

But as I was bending over, someone shoved me into the closet and slammed the door shut.

"HEY!" I called out, "HEY OPEN THE DOOR!"

The door opened for a split second, but was blocked because someone else was getting shoved in with me. The door slammed for a second time.

"HEY!" I called, pounding on the door. I tried to turn the knob again, but it was locked. "Great…"

I looked over to see who was stuck in the closet with me.

"K…Kaoru?"

**[HaPOV]**

"Senpai!"

"Daddy did a good job, didn't he?"

I narrowed my eyes, although I wasn't sure if it was because he was considering me his daughter (again) or because of his latest stupidity.

"No! You pushed in Kaoru!"

Tamaki's face fell, "What?"

"Kaoru!" Hikaru wailed, trying to pull on the doorknob to the closet. The girls were surrounding the door, some pushing their ears up against it to hear what was going on. Some muttered about how Kaoru was cheating on his brother, and some were talking about how romantic it was.

I rolled my eyes, "Will you let them out?"

"B-b-but…"

"Now senpai!"

Tamaki reached into his pocket for what I assumed was a key. But he couldn't find it in any of his pockets. He looked around frantically.

"Does this mean that Rae-chan and Kao-chan will be locked in there forever?" Honey asked.

"Of course not Mitsukuni." Mori-senpai said for me.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience ladies, but I'm afraid you'll have to go home for now." Kyoya-senpai said.

The customers sighed and walked out sadly, all wanting to see how the story would end.

After everyone was gone, we all started looking for the key, but nobody saw it anywhere.

**[HPOV]**

"Kaoru!" I yelled, banging on the closet door, but it was no use. The door was locked, and the key was missing.

"Hikaru, I think he'll be ok." Haruhi said.

I shook with frustration, "No! He won't be ok!"

Kaoru was both claustrophobic and cleisiophobic **(10)**. It happened when one of our nannies locked us up in a closet to punish us for pranks. Ever since, Kaoru was terrified of small, locked places. No one knew about it except for me and him.

I pressed my ear up against the door and continued to try and turn the knob when I heard Raine whisper, "Kaoru, it's ok if you're afraid."

My heart stopped beating and I stopped pounding on the door. I pressed my ear up against the door harder to listen.

"Hikaru-" Haruhi started, but I put up a finger to quiet her.

"Let me protect you Kaoru." Raine said.

I dropped my hand and fell on the floor in a heap. Haruhi looked at me, her eyes full of concern, but I didn't say anything.

Let me protect you Kaoru…

"But Kaoru," I whispered almost inaudibly, "I'm supposed to protect you."

**[RPOV]**

I sighed, "Well…it sounds like we're going to be in here for awhile."

I could hear Kaoru's breathing. He sounded like he was in the middle of a panic attack. He looked at me in desperation, but said as calmly as he could, "Yeah…I suppose so."

"Are you okay?" I asked, even though I knew the answer already.

"Y…yes…I'm f-f-fine."

"Kaoru," I whispered, "it's ok if you're afraid."

The banging stopped, and I wondered if Hikaru heard me over his screams. I held out my arms, which Kaoru happily lay into.

"I know it's supposed to be the guy who protects the girl," I said, "and I know I'm not exactly the first person you'd run to for protection anyways…but…let me protect you Kaoru." My cheeks burned and I was glad that the closet was dark, even though I was sure that he could feel my blush.

Kaoru nuzzled my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I wrapped my arms around him, to keep him from trembling.

"I'm sorry Raine." he mumbled.

"For what?" I whispered.

"For Hikaru."

"Don't apologize for Hikaru. He can do it himself. You aren't him."

Kaoru made a mumbling sound and I held him tighter. I had figured he was probably claustrophobic, which didn't make any sense, since he enjoyed being really close to people. But either way, I stayed and ran a hand through his hair affectionately.

Finally Kaoru pulled back and said shakily, "N…nobody ex-c-cept Hikaru has…has ever known about th-this…"

I nodded, "I figured…the way he was pounding on the door."

There was a long pause before Kaoru said, "Please don't tell."

I shook my head, "Never Kaoru, I promise."

He gave me a small smile and laid back into my arms. His breathing became more even.

The door knob jiggled, and then the door was finally pulled open, letting a lot of light in. I held a hand up and Kaoru jumped up about five feet into the air.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru said, running at his brother.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru said happily, hugging his brother tightly.

When they came out of their embrace, Hikaru looked at me and smiled, "Thanks for protecting him Raine."

And just like that we were back on speaking terms.

**(1) Japanese New Year**

**(2) Toshikoshi soba: A type of noodles.**

**(3) Osechi ryori: **

**(4) Otoso: Sweetened Rice Wine.**

**(5) Ozoni: Soup with mochi in it.**

**(6) Hanetsuki: Japanese badminton.**

**(7) Takoage: Kite flying.**

**(8) Karuta: Card game. **

**(9) Bonenkai parties: Forget the year parties.**

**(10) Claustrophobia: Fear of enclosed spaces; Cleisiophobia : Fear of locked enclosed spaces. It is in fact possible to be one or the other. I know this for a fact (ahem…cleisiophobic right here XD) **

**A/N: So…after waiting for…like a week, I FINALLY update this story! I'm sure you can all see why this takes FOREVER! (ahem…super…long…chapters XD)**

**So…um…review?**


	11. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**QUICK A/N PLEASE READ: So…I was going to do one last bonus chapter, but I scrapped it about two paragraphs in. This is because I really had no ideas to finish them and what was supposed to be 'Day 10' works better here instead. So…just pretend that days 9-11 were regular days…because they pretty much were. Yay! We're back to regular chapters. Please keep in mind that this chapter takes place right after 'Chapter 5.' Ok…I think that's it…oh, and I've had half of this chapter written since way back when I was touching up 'Chapter 1.' Glad I finally got to post it XD.**

**Chapter 6**

**[RPOV]**

I was happy for three reasons. One, because today The Last House on the Left **(1) **showed up on my doorstep. Ah, crappy American horror movies, what could be better? Two, because it's Friday, and Fridays make everything better. And three, today would be my last day working the Host Club.

So that last one made me a little sad. I knew I could deny it all I wanted, but working for the Host Club was fun.

"Hey Haruhi!" I called, walking up to her.

Haruhi smiled back and ran over to me, "Are you excited for your last day?"

I shrugged, "I guess…hey, my getting out of debt calls for celebration! The movie I ordered from the states came in this morning, are you up for it?"

Haruhi smiled again, "Sure."

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

As I finished tidying up the Third Music Room for the last time, I looked out the window and noticed that it looked like it was about to rain, "Well…it looks like we're finally going to have October weather."

Tamaki looked over at Haruhi and asked, "So Haruhi…what are you doing tonight?"

"Going over to Raine's house."

I turned around and waved.

Tamaki looked out the window and chewed on his thumbnail before declaring, "I won't let my daughter to go Raine's house alone! I must come along."

"I wanna see Rae-chan's house!" Honey exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, and besides, you promised us a movie night." Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison.

I thought back to our Costco experience and sighed, "Well then…the movie night is tonight…we're going to watch an American horror movie."

Hikaru rolled his eyes, "American horror movies are so overrated. They aren't even scary."

"Well nobody asked you." I said.

"So, Rae-chan, we get to come over?" Honey asked innocently, looking up at me with his big, brown eyes.

"I…I…yeah, ok…"

Tamaki and Honey skipped around the music room happily.

"Celebrating the end of your debt then?" Kyoya asked.

I turned around and faced him, "Yeah, you could say that." I narrowed my eyes, "Why?"

"No reason."

I raised an eyebrow, "Well…I assume you'll be coming over?"

"Of course. A chat with Taro Maki will do great wonders for the Ootori family business."

"Great…" I murmured.

Hikaru and Kaoru came up to either side of me, "So Raine, will we get to sleep in the same room?"

I ducked down and turned myself so I was facing them, "There is no way you are sleeping over. Ever."

They both exchanged a mischievous glance, which unsettled me. I retreated to the back of the music room and grabbed my bag when I saw Haruhi looking out the window. I went up behind her and said, "Nice to see we'll be having Fall weather."

There was a silence before she finally said, "I just hope there isn't any thunder."

I gave her a sympathetic smile, "Don't worry. There isn't a way you can be more scared of thunder than I am of roller coasters."

Haruhi forced a laugh. I put my arm around her and said, "Don't worry. The screams from the movie will drown it out."

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

We ended up taking the Hitachiin's private limo to my house, as I didn't want to bother Uncle and I didn't feel like explaining directions to someone else's driver.

We all stepped out and Tamaki started flailing his arms and asked a million questions a minute, "This is where you live? You don't act like it. How should I act? Do you have commoner's food?"

"Tamaki! SHUT. UP."

He did.

I pulled out a house key from my pocket and unlocked the front door. I slipped off my shoes and shoved them into a small compartment. The others followed.

"I'm home!" I called out.

Auntie poked her head out of the kitchen. She was covered in flour and her hair was messy, but she wore a smile and spoke with grace, "Hello, and who do we have here?"

"Auntie, this is the Host Club…you already know Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru…but this is Tamaki, Honey, Mori, and Kyoya."

Auntie stepped forward and gave each boy a smile until she set her eyes on Tamaki. She pulled his face close to hers and got misty eyed, "Your eyes…" She looked at me, her expression of slight surprise, "Raine…I thought-"

"He's French." I interrupted, not wanting Auntie to say anything more, "Aren't his eyes pretty?"

"Right…well…I assume you're all going to watch The Last House on the Left."

"You know it!" I exclaimed happily.

Auntie laughed, "Well, as you can see, I'm cooking…but when I'm done I'll get some snacks for you. Raine, why don't you give them all the grand tour?"

"Sure…where's Uncle?"

"He's in the study, working on some new program…you know Taro. Don't worry though, once I'm done cooking he'll be out here." Auntie said with a wink and then returning to the kitchen.

"What was that all about?" Kaoru asked, "Your aunt was acting all weird around Boss."

"It's…nothing. Don't worry about it…Auntie is just really weird sometimes. Come on, let's go on that tour."

**[KPOV]**

I knew Raine was lying to me. But the way her aunt looked when she saw Boss.

It was the same expression Raine had. An uncertain fear.

But why?

"Kaoru!" Hikaru called, "Keep up, will you?"

I nodded.

Raine took us through several rooms like the kitchen, the dining hall, several different bedrooms, bathrooms, a small music room, and then she stopped at her uncle's study.

"You all should meet Uncle. He's really nice you know. Well…Hikaru and Kaoru know that first hand…" she said, her mouth twitching slightly. She opened the door to the study, revealing a man at a computer screen. He turned around, an angry expression on his face. Tamaki flinched and stepped away quietly.

"Who dares to disturb me while I'm working!"

Raine made no effort to even look scared. No one did…except the Boss of course.

"G…gomen sir!"

There was a long pause before Maki-san let out a loud belly laugh, "Don't worry about it son, I'm not really angry."

"You…you aren't?"

"Of course not…now Raine, who did you bring along…I see Haruhi and those two trouble makers."

Raine giggled, "Mori, Honey, Kyoya…and the boy who I think you scared half to death is Tamaki."

"A Suoh boy?"

"You know who I am?"

"Of course I do! I went to school with your father…quite the character…although I wasn't too fond of his mother."

Tamaki nodded, "Yes…I'm not too fond of Grandmother either."

"Right…" Raine interjected, "welp, Auntie said that she's almost done cooking. And I'm giving these guys the grand tour."

Her uncle nodded and smiled at us, "Well…have fun. You're all watching a horror movie, right?"

We nodded.

Maki-san smiled, "I have to continue working, but here's the key to the movie room. You kids have fun." He handed Raine a silver key and we all started out the door.

"Hikaru…Kaoru…whichever Hitachiin you are."

I turned around. Maki-san looked at me with a small smile, "Kaoru."

"Kaoru…Raine might act brave now, but she scares easy when it comes to horror movies."

"Oh?" I didn't know, since the last time we tried to scare Raine our efforts were pretty much squashed.

"You, your brother, and Haruhi are the only ones who are really close to her. I want you to calm her down when she starts getting scared."

I nodded, "Okay."

He smiled at me, "Thank you. Now, enjoy your movie."

**[RPOV]**

I wasn't scared of horror movies per-say…I wasn't as scared of them as I was of…well let's say roller coasters. However, I wasn't able to watch the Japanese A Tale of Two Sisters **(2) **without turning on the lights and having both Auntie and Uncle in the room.

That said, I do enjoy scaring myself…from the comfort of my own home.

And American movies aren't THAT scary.

I opened the door to the movie room, which was more or less a bunch of couches, blankets, and a big screen TV. Uncle and Auntie once lived alone, and enjoyed watching romantic comedies all cuddled up together.

Everyone took a spot on the couch as I put in the movie. I grabbed the remote from the top of the TV and turned around. Everyone was happily squished together and the only spot open was the space between Hikaru and Kaoru.

I sucked in my breath, and flopped down in the open space. They both snickered.

"Shut up." I told them as I hit the play button.

The first couple of minutes into the movie, I closed my eyes, "Too much gore!" I screamed hiding my face into Hikaru's chest.

**[HPOV]**

"Comfy?" I asked sarcastically.

"Mmnmmm…"

I patted her head affectionately and wrapped my arms around her. She stiffened, and pulled back. The devil!

"You tease!" I accused.

"Shh…" Tamaki shushed, "I am trying to watch the commoner's movie!"

I sat back and faced the screen, feeling bitter.

**[RPOV]**

As the movie progressed (with commentary from all of us) it finally seemed to reach the end…when the killer's head blew up.

_BOOM!_

The power went out and I let out a loud scream. Then we all heard rain falling outside.

The door to the room opened and Auntie and Uncle stood in front of us, carrying candles and flashlights. Auntie smiled and said, "The storm outside is brutal. The streets are already flooded. You'll all have to stay here for the night."

I stole a glance at Haruhi, who was trembling. But the thunder had stopped.

I nodded, "Ok…well you guys should all follow me."

I led them upstairs, where all the bedrooms were, "Those two rooms over there have two beds in each one…that room only has one bed, that room is mine, and that room only has one bed." I frowned, there wasn't enough space, "Haruhi can sleep in my room, and I'll sleep on the floor."

"I will not allow a princess to sleep on the floor!" Tamaki declared, "You can stay in your room, and Haruhi will stay with me."

"Haruhi will NOT stay with you!"

"Why not!"

"Because she's a girl!"

Tamaki was at loss for words, "You…know…?"

I threw my hands up in the air, "I've known since I got here!"

Tamaki coughed, and then straightened, "Still, Haruhi is terrified of thunder, and I'm the one that's going to protect her."

I looked at Haruhi, who was quite pale, and still shaking a bit. She managed to nod her head to give me the 'ok' and so I nodded.

"Fine…"

And so, Honey and Mori decided to take one of the two bed bedrooms, Haruhi and Tamaki the other. Kyoya took the room to the left of mine, which left Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Um…I can ask Auntie to get a cot…or-"

Hikaru put up his hand to stop me, "We usually share a bed anyways. It'll be fine."

I nodded, "Ok then…" I opened the door and let them inside, "Oh, and if you can hear me talk in my sleep, it's because my bed is right on the opposite side." I pointed to the wall, "Well…good night then."

I left and closed the door behind me.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

_I coughed as the smoke surrounded me, "Mom! Dad!"_

_The flames grew and a piece of wood from the ceiling fell, trapping my legs. Flames licked the soles of my feet and I cried out in pain. It was too hot to cry, and my breathing became heavy._

_There was a figure that ran past me. _

"_Help!" I called out, trying to move my legs._

_The person stopped and looked at me, and I saw that it was a woman, her eyes a sparkling violet. She paused, and through the smoke I could make out a small, regretful smile, "Sorry Raine."_

_She ran out of the building and I continued to cry out in pain. _

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

I shot up out of bed and let out a piercing scream. I put a hand to my forehead and realized I was drenched in both sweat and tears. The covers were sprawled around on the floor. I took heavy breaths and touched the soles of my feet, whimpering softly. I picked up the blankets and placed them back on the bed. My face twisted, and I began to cry.

**[KPOV]**

I found it hard to sleep knowing that Raine was on the other side of the wall, although Hikaru was sleeping like a baby.

I had stayed up the whole night, listening to them breathe, somehow in tune with each other. I smiled softly to myself.

Then I heard her scream. It was so surprising, that I jumped in the bed, waking Hikaru up. I threw off the covers and started running for the door.

"Hey! What was that for!" Hikaru demanded, slightly groggy, but mostly irritated.

I threw open the door, "It's Raine."

Hikaru immediately followed me.

I opened the door to Raine's room and saw her on her bed, trembling. The moonlight was reflected on the tears falling from her eyes. I cautiously took a few steps forward, making her floorboards creak.

She looked up at us in surprise, and then wiped the back of her face with her hand, trying to hide the fact that she was crying. She gave a smile and asked, "What are you guys doing in here?"

Hikaru and I walked over to her bed and sat down on either side of her. I spoke first, "I heard you scream. Did you have a nightmare?"

Raine gave me a blank look before bursting into tears. She burried her face into my chest, and wrapped her arms around me, making my face redden. I held her in a hug and rocked her for a bit. She was shaking, and her hot tears made me want to cry for her.

Hikaru wrapped his arms around her stomach and rested on her back. We sat in the darkness, hugging, until Raine finally stopped shaking. She pulled out of the hug and said, "Thanks, guys," she gave a forced laugh and said, "well, you should be off to bed now."

Hikaru and I exchanged a glance and smirked. We climbed into Raine's bed, leaving room for Raine in the middle. Hikaru said, "You don't really think we'd leave now? We can't let you be all alone."

Even in the darkness, I could see Raine turning red. She stuttered, "I-I th-thought I t-t-told you we'd n-never sl-sle-eep in the same r-r-room…"

"Come on," I said, pulling her arm, "we won't do anything to you. And…you need some friends right now."

Raine nodded slowly and lowered herself into the bed. She smiled and closed her eyes. Hikaru and I snuggled up closer to her. My heartbeat quickened, but Raine's presence was still soothing. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

**[RPOV]**

_Oh. God. What am I supposed to do now? These guys are shirtless and I'm in thin pajamas!_

My heart raced. If the nightmare I just experienced wasn't going to keep me awake, the twins sure would.

I pressed my head up against the pillow. Hikaru shifted over and put his arm around me. I smiled a little as my heart pounded faster.

"Well…" I whispered to myself, "at least I'll know I'm safe tonight."

**(1): The Last House on the Left -- suckiest movie ever. If you pay money to watch this, you got ripped off.**

**(2): A Tale of Two Sisters -- Japanese version looks really scary, but the American remake (The Uninvited) sucks. And yes, this movie also had a little cameo in a bonus chapter (the Costco bonus chapter I believe).**

**In case you were wondering, I love scary movies…however, none of them are all that scary (and I've seen The Unborn, The Uninvited, One Missed Call, Prom Night, Last House on the Left, and The Grudge *American Remake* 1 and 2) you can tell who's going to die the first five minutes and really…the endings are predictable.**

**So…last night I wrote I would post a new chapter, but I'm recently getting over being sick, so mom kicked me off and that's why this is a day late.**

**And WOAH! 9 pages for a single chapter o.o! Three cheers for me! Anyways, I hope this chapter gave you a teeny bit of insight for what's to come…later on. XD**

**Ok…review?**


	12. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 7**

**[RPOV]**

I woke up groggily to excessive movement, lots of screaming, and a few snickers.

"Raine what were these two boys doing in your room at night, and in your bed?"

I grumbled and buried my head into my pillow, not fully registering what my aunt was saying to me. _Boys…bed…night…wait!_

I shot up out of bed, my brown hair falling into my face. I looked at Auntie, who was pursing her lips in a disapproving manner. I blushed as more hair fell into my face, "Sorry…"

"Sorry! Do you even know what happened last night to you?"

I cringed. Auntie didn't often yell, so when she did it made it about ten times worse. I looked up, "I…had a nightmare."

"Then why didn't you ask Haruhi to-"

"She's afraid of thunder…" I said, not looking at Auntie, Hikaru, or Kaoru straight in the eye.

"We…didn't do anything." Hikaru said.

"We promise!" Kaoru interjected.

Auntie sighed and finally said, to me, "What was your nightmare about?"

I glanced over at the twins, who were also eager to know. I turned away and looked out my window, "A…fire…"

Auntie quieted for a moment before finally saying, "Well…since nothing happened I suppose I can let it slide."

Uncle came into the room, and asked, "Who wants breakfast?"

**[KPOV]**

Seeing Raine be put on the spot unnerved me, but what I wanted to know was what her nightmare about.

A fire wasn't necessarily a scary thing.

We all sat around Raine's kitchen, waiting for her to finish making pancakes. She looked tired, but she served us all with a smile. Got to give her credit, she puts on a good show.

We all sat down, and I whispered to Hikaru, "Hikaru, do you really think her nightmare was about a fire."

Hikaru shrugged, "I don't know, but I want to find out." he gave me a devilish smirk before returning to his pancakes.

**[RPOV -- Monday]**

I couldn't look at either of them. But it's not my fault, I swear!

After everyone left my aunt and uncle questioned me nonstop about what happened, what my dream was, what I was wearing, what time was it.

And then Auntie finally asked, "Does this mean you like them?"

They had both stared me down until I ran away to my room, my face burning.

Then Uncle came in and said, "I know I'm not good with this teenage girl stuff, but it's ok that you like them."

I stayed quiet, but I nodded my head.

And then Uncle asked, "But which one is it?"

I had no answer.

So now it was after school, but I couldn't go home yet. Instead I wandered to the courtyard where the trees' leaves were turning orange and falling into the pond. I sat on a rock and looked into the pond, my reflection staring back at me.

"Which one? I _have _to pick one?" I asked myself. I still couldn't believe how fast I had fallen for them.

"RAE-CHAN!"

I looked up to the building behind me and saw the entire Host Club waving from the top floor. I gave a small wave.

"RAE-CHAN COME ON UP!"

I chewed on my lower lip, thinking I could walk away. I sighed, "But I still owe it to Haruhi to go." I nodded and ran to the Third Music Room.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

I sat, laughing with Haruhi, feeling completely free.

"So," one of the girls asked, "you aren't a maid anymore?"

I shook my head, "I paid off my debt a few days ago. So…I'm just a customer, like everyone else."

The girls seemed happy that I wouldn't get extra attention anymore. I smiled sadly, part of me wishing that I could somehow stay, even though there was no reason for me to any more.

Kyoya came up to us, "Well ladies, we're closing up for the day, so bid farewell to your host…and Raine, I'd like to talk to you after everyone's left." His glasses flashed and he smiled, sending a chill up my spine.

"Y-y-yes. Of course."

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

Eventually everyone left, although Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki were persistent in trying to stay, saying that they had complete rights to the Third Music Room. Luckily, Haruhi dragged them away.

The drapes were closed, only letting in a little light; and Kyoya and I were the only ones left in the room, which unsettled me a little. He took off his glasses and cleaned them coolly, not saying a word.

I coughed a bit and then said, "Well Kyoya, my debt has been paid, so unless you have something else to say I guess I'll be-"

"Cleaning for tomorrow."

"Excuse me?"

Kyoya put his glasses back on and said, "You didn't think I would let you off now that you know our little secret."

He stared me down. I shook a little, but I closed my eyes and let out a small laugh. "That's not all you care about."

Kyoya gave a small smirk and asked coolly, "What do you mean by that?"

I leaned back onto a table and said, "You know, you're constantly trying to gain something for your own benefit. With me around, wouldn't that just hinder business? What could you possibly gain from having me here?"

Kyoya narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? I can gain everything. Free cleaning, free serving-"

"I don't think it's all about the money." I interrupted. "I think that you're trying to gain…power maybe…or respect." I snapped my fingers. "That's right! You're a third son. You're probably doing this to make yourself seem bigger, thus getting more respect in your dad's eyes." I frowned and said, "I think that you're trying to get more benefits for the club so you'll be respected, and in turn, inherit the Ootori company." I paused, "You know Kyoya, there is more to gain in life than personal benefit."

Kyoya let out a long, forced breath. I knew without him telling me that I hit a few buttons. He pushed up his glasses and looked at me and said, "That was very insightful of you, but nevertheless, you still have to remain here."

I closed my eyes and said, "Whatever you say, Kyoya." I turned around and walked to the door, only stopping when my hand was on the knob. I turned back and faced Kyoya, smiled, and said, "But if you wanted me to stay, you could have just asked."

**A/N: -__- So…that didn't turn out how I wanted it to…and sorry that this chapter is so short. I promise, it gets interesting next chapter (the beginning of the Halloween special! XD yay!) So…review?**


	13. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 8 (Halloween Special)**

**[RPOV]**

October has always been my favorite month of the year. The weather was cooling, the leaves were changing colors, and the air was nice and crisp. October was a time for apple cider, cuddling up by the fire, and pumpkin cupcakes.

But the best part about October?

Halloween.

I've always loved Halloween. When I was little, I looked forward to it more then my birthday and Christmas. Trick or treating, dressing up, ghost stories, Halloween parties at school, and decorating the house were my favorite parts.

I woke up early on the 31st of October. My room was decked out in fake cobwebs, coffins, tombstones, skeletons, and anything else that was moderately spooky. Auntie and Uncle helped me recreate my holiday in my room.

I quickly got dressed in my angel costume (In past years I had already been a ghost, a fairy, an ice cream sandwich, a rain drop, Cat Woman, a box of Pocky, Darth Vader, Cosmo, and a gypsy). Ouran was having a costume day before tonight's big Halloween scare…thanks to Class 1-A, we'd have the scariest haunted school in Ouran history…or, that was what we were aiming for.

I was disappointed that I wouldn't be going trick or treating this year, but then I remembered that Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, and our class rep Kazukiyo were in my scare group.

I turned to the mirror and smiled at my reflection. My dress was white with gold sparkles, made from silk, and hit just below my knees. My wings weren't the kind you got from Target or Walmart, but looked as if they were professionally made. And my halo was a bright white that contrasted with my dark brown hair.

"Today is going to be a good day." I said to myself.

"Happy Halloween." Auntie chirped, handing me a caramel apple. I grinned, took a bite and munched happily.

"So what's the game plan today?" Uncle asked.

I swallowed and said, "Well, today Ouran is having a special Halloween Fest day where we play carnival games, have a costume contest…there's going to be lots of food and fun. And then tonight my class is hosting a scare-off! We're all in separate groups and we're going to spend the night scaring each other half to death."

"Sounds like fun."

"Ouran's certainly changed a bit." Auntie said, sighing a little. "On Halloween, they let us dress up, but we never got a chance to do something like this."

I smiled and said, "Well, I had better be going to school now." I grabbed my coat and gave my aunt and uncle a kiss goodbye.

**[KPOV]**

Today was Halloween.

Hikaru and I were dressed up as devils, complete with horns and a tail. Raine was supposed to be our angel.

Raine.

These past few weeks with her had been fun. Almost everyday Hikaru and I had been going to her house after working at the Host Club. She always welcomed us and the rest of the Host Club.

I sighed. Everyday I saw her my feelings deepened.

But we hadn't spoken about the kiss since it happened.

I was waiting for Hikaru to come out of the shower so we could go to school. Dad was locked away in his study, and I needed to talk to someone. So I decided to go to Mom instead.

"Hello…Hika…no, Kaoru!" she said happily.

I gave a small smile. Mom was busy, so she confused me with Hikaru a lot of the time. "Can we talk?"

Mom, who was covered head to toe in fabric and paper, nodded and threw everything off of herself. She dusted her denim skirt and pushed away her pin cushions to make room for me. "What is it sweetie? Is there a problem at school? With Hikaru? A girl?"

I blushed a bit and looked away. "It's…it's Raine."

Mom froze as she tried to recall the name, "Raine…Raine…"

"She's staying with the Maki family."

Mom snapped her fingers, "The American child that goes to your school! Yes, I've know of her…you should bring her around to the house one day."

"Mom, I don't think that's a good id-"

"Maybe after Halloween…what do Americans celebrate after Halloween? Oh, Thanksgiving! Yes, we'll have a Thanksgiving party here at the house." Mom smiled and ran a hand through her spiky, fiery red hair and laughed.

"Really, I think she'd rather lay low. Besides I-"

Mom's cell phone went off. She looked at me apologetically, "I'll talk to you later Kaoru." she tapped my chin, "Keep your chin up. If you like her, and she likes you, you'll know."

Mom rushed out of the room, talking a million miles a minute on her phone. I sighed dejectedly, "Well, if she likes me, why is she avoiding me?"

"If who likes you?" Hikaru asked, now standing right behind me.

"H-H-Hikaru…what are…how did?"

Hikaru narrowed his eyes and said, "You're stammering. What's wrong?"

I looked down at the ground. I took a deep breath, ready to tell him my feelings about Raine and hopefully not be laughed at. He stared at me concerned, and I trembled and muttered, "It's nothing."

**[HPOV]**

When Kaoru says "It's nothing." it's usually something.

And I was able to hear his conversation with mom.

Raine.

I furrowed my eyebrows. I kissed her, but so did Kaoru, so now what? Does she like me or him or neither of us?

I stole a glance at Kaoru who was twiddling his thumbs nervously.

I laughed and said, "Well then, let's go!"

He looked relieved and smiled at me, "Sure thing. Got to go get some admiration from these costumes!"

I smirked, "But I bet you're really excited to see Raine's costume."

He froze, just like I knew he would. He turned to me, "Wh-what do you mean by that?"

I just laughed, "It's just a joke Kaoru." I grinned at my younger brother.

**[KPOV]**

_At the stroke of midnight, the carriage would turn back into a pumpkin. But this particular spell wasn't cast by a fairy godmother._

_This is the magic spell._

Hikaru and I were sitting in the limo. He seemed off for some reason. I looked at him, but he only smiled and waved at me.

The limo pulled up at Ouran as Raine walked to the entrance. I saw Hikaru perk up slightly.

So that's it.

Raine.

Hikaru jumped out of the limo and started talking. She looked happy.

**[RPOV]**

The day went pretty smoothly, although I got the occasional glare from a girl who was jealous that I was dressed to match Hikaru and Kaoru.

"We need an angel to wipe away our sins!" They said in unison.

"Or maybe," Hikaru said, leaning into me, "we can knock an angel down into the world of the devils."

"But-but Hikaru…I thought I was your little devil." Kaoru said shyly, looking down at the floor.

The chimes from the many fan girls signaled that it was time for me to go so they could enjoy the twins' act.

I had to admit, the Halloween decorations in the Third Music Room were magnificent. Scary. Creepy. In other words, they passed my inspection.

I was surprised to see everyone in the Host Club completely into the Halloween spirit. Tamaki was a vampire, teeth and cape and very Dracula-esque. Kyoya was a wizard, dressed in all black. To be honest, if I could draw a scar he'd be a pretty good Harry Potter. But a dark wizard was good for him. Mori was Frankenstein and Honey was Peter Pan (he even dressed up Usa-chan to be a little Tinkerbelle). Haruhi was a pirate (although that was the second choice, since Tamaki wanted her to be Princess Cinderella…she refused). Then of course there was me, the angel, and the two devils with their yaoi act.

I served a few more cups of tea and pumpkin cupcakes (saving some for myself of course) before the Host Club ended early, due to the scare off that was due to occur in a matter of hours.

"DAUGHTERS! YOU WILL NOT BE GOING TO THE SCARE OFF TONIGHT, DADDY FORBIDS IT!"

I wasn't sure when Tamaki started referring to me as a second daughter…maybe it was when he realized I wasn't leaving and could therefore become attached.

Although it annoyed me to think that he considered Haruhi and me one in the same, I also felt a bit flattered that considered me part of his family.

**[KPOV]**

_We may be just members of a host club, but Raine has fallen into the family so easily. And we all consider each other to be members of a family. _

I watched as Raine explained to Tono that she was, in fact, going to tonight's haunted school scare off with us.

"YOU ARE ESPECIALLY NOT GOING WITH THOSE UNSCRUPULOUS TWINS! DADDY WILL NOT ALLOW IT!"

"You aren't my dad sempai!" Haruhi yelled with no effect.

Raine just smiled and looked our way and said, "Hikaru and Kaoru aren't unscrupulous, maybe a little devilish…but it's nothing an angel can't fix."

I blushed slightly and looked over at Hikaru, whose face was also red. I sighed.

I knew Hikaru liked her.

That meant that I would have to confess to her soon.

Maybe I would tonight.

**[RPOV -- Later that night]**

"Hey Kaoru, tell us the story about the clock tower witch!"

I sighed. The other classes hadn't come our way yet, which disappointed me. No trick or treating, no being scared out of my head, and no scaring others. This Halloween was a bust.

Not only that, but Kuzakiyo looked like he was about to faint.

"One Halloween many years ago a girl dressed in a witch costume fell to her death from the tower. And now who ever sees her ghost on Halloween night will BE CURSED FOREVER!"

Kuzakiyo flipped.

"Would you knock it off!" Haruhi scolded, "The point is to scare someone NOT on your team!"

I laughed a bit, but said, "Haruhi is right you guys, besides…if that's the best scary story you can come up with, maybe you can go and scare some first graders."

Haruhi shot a look in my direction, but I could tell from her eyes that she found my comment quite amusing.

I stretched, "Well I'm bored, can we move around and find someone to scare now?"

"NO!" Kuzakiyo yelled. He slumped back into a corner, "I just want to make it through the night."

I sighed, "Fi-"

But I didn't get to finish my sentence because a skull came rolling down the stairs. We all jumped and screamed in surprise.

Hikaru kicked the skull back up the stairs, screaming at them. I closed my eyes as my heart rate started slowing. Sneak attacks.

"My skull…My skull…!"

"Could…could it be the clock tower witch?"

"Why did you kick…MY SKULL!"

I didn't have to think twice. I bolted.

**[KPOV]**

Raine and I ran as fast as we could, but we got pushed into an open room. Before either of us could react, the door was shut and locked.

"Dammit…they locked us in." I muttered.

Raine shrugged, "Well…what now?"

I stiffened. She smiled. I knew it wasn't the time yet. "What…what was life like for you…back home? Did you enjoy Halloween as much?"

Raine's mouth quirked up into a small smile, "I've always loved Halloween…but back home…back home they didn't celebrate it like this." She gestured towards all of the decorations in the room, "After turning thirteen my friends deemed me too old for Halloween. My parents…my parents didn't mind I guess, but I could see that they didn't like me acting like such a little kid."

"Oh…harsh…"

"As for life back home…it was ok…I can't say I can complain. My parents raised me right and the few friends I had were…nice."

I paused and replayed her words, "Few friends…nice?"

Raine let out a small, bitter laugh, "I…I didn't have that many friends. I mean…I wasn't popular…I guess that's why I was so excited to be coming here…new faces, a new me…it's…it's why I don't mind working for the Host Club…you guys are like my family."

"So in other words, you've cast a spell on the carriage. And maybe you're right, keeping things the way they are wouldn't be so bad."

Raine tilted her head to the side, "Kaoru, what are you talking about?

_I'm sure that's what Raine had in mind when she cast a spell on her own carriage. We're like a family to her now and she doesn't want that to change. _

_Back in America, Raine didn't have that many friends to speak of and she wants to enjoy this for as long as she can. _

"Raine I-"

She looked up at me with her big, violet eyes and tilted her head, "Yes?"

"I-"

I leaned into her slowly. My heart beat started beating faster. When I was only a few inches away from her face, I said, "I…I really like you Raine."

Before she could get a word in, I pressed my lips against hers.

Raine pulled back quickly and even in the dark I could see her blushing, "I…I…listen Kaoru…I really like you too but-"

"KAORU!"

"…Hikaru!" I stood up to hug my brother, but my eyes cast back down at Raine, who looked miserable.

_But still, one of these days, it'll all turn back into that same old grubby pumpkin again. _

**[RPOV]**

I couldn't look at Kaoru as we walked back to the main corridor, where everyone was waiting for us. I just couldn't.

If only Hikaru had been FIVE minutes later than he was.

I grabbed Haruhi by the arm, "Kaoru kissed me…"

Haruhi looked at me and smiled, "Well that's a good thing isn't it?"

"No, because I like them both! But Kaoru didn't give me a chance to explain anything!"

Haruhi looked at me and said, "If Kaoru really likes you, he'll give you the chance to explain."

I sighed and looked down at my watch, "Listen, if anyone asks, I left early, ok…I have some thinking to do…"

Haruhi nodded, "Coming over to my house after all of this right?"

I nodded, "Meet you there Fujioka!"

**[KPOV]**

"We were so worried about the fi…where's Raine?"

I looked back over my shoulder as my eyes widened. Was my confession that bad that she had to leave?

Haruhi cleared her throat and said, "She's fine, but went home early…she said she was tired."

I didn't believe it.

"Why did you leave your post in the middle of the tournament?" someone asked.

"We called the whole thing off to go looking for you!"

I furrowed my brow in confusion, "Wasn't that you guys who were trying to scare us?"

The rest of the class looked at each other and said, "That wasn't us…"

A few girls let out a piercing scream, "Outside! There's a dark figure in the window!"

We all looked up and screamed. And then we ran. Screaming for our lives.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

"That was you?" Hikaru asked Raine.

"Yup."

"So you really didn't leave home early?" I asked.

Raine looked at me, blushed, and said, "No…I had the whole thing planned out from the beginning. Nice right?" She pulled out her wooden Belzeneff and gave it a kiss, "Knew this thing would come in handy."

Hikaru looked at her and smiled, his whole face lighting up. I sighed and looked at the ground.

"Let's…let's get to class." I said.

The three of us started walking together until I pushed the two of them forward.

I watched as Hikaru and Raine talked amongst themselves. "It is Hikaru that she likes…"

_I knew it would be awhile before Hikaru confessed his feelings towards even himself. Still, one day Hikaru's going to realize he'll want to take the next step on his own. And if that happens, I don't know what I'll do. _

**A/N: Hooray for Halloween! I'm going trick or treating this year! (Yeah, yeah, 15 year old who still trick or treats…my excuse is that I'm making up for the years I missed as a kid XD) How bout you guys? **

**And don't worry…this isn't the end for Kaoru…it's a…minor speedbump, so to speak. =]**

**And speaking of Kaoru…he seems very depressed lately…I think I'll give him a break next chapter so he can mellow out. XD. **

**And double hooray for Until It Became a Pumpkin! I LOVE that episode. 'Tis my favorite…although, it's funny how the October episode came after the Kuruizawa episode and Kuruizawa takes place in what? Summer? I've realized that in the manga the Host Club goes through like three summers before Honey and Mori graduate…weird…XD.**

**Ok…this is rambly. **

**Happy Halloween (even though I'll probably update before then)**

**Review!**


	14. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or Lucky Charms.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 9 **

**[RPOV]**

I shuffled downstairs, took out a box of Lucky Charms, and sat at the kitchen table. Auntie and Uncle had to leave early for work, and I wasn't quite used to the house being so empty.

I sighed and ate a spoonful of cereal.

It was only about two weeks into November, but already everyone at Ouran was getting ready for the annual winter dance.

I spun the spoon around the bowl and sighed to myself.

Kaoru had been avoiding me since Halloween. Instead, he had been pushing Hikaru and me together. Hikaru hadn't noticed. But I did.

"I'm such an idiot." I said to myself. I put the spoon down. Suddenly, I didn't feel so hungry anymore.

I grabbed my backpack and started walking to Ouran, slamming my foot down with every step I took. I wasn't sure if I was mad at Kaoru, who wouldn't talk to me, or myself, who really didn't explain anything to him.

I twisted a piece of my brown hair and started slowing my pace as I neared Haruhi's house. I sniffed and puffed my chest out; I was ready for another day.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

"Haruhi!" Ranka called, "Your friend is here!"

I smiled as Haruhi came rushing to the front door. Her dad patted the top of her head and told her to have a good day.

"Yeah dad, you have a good day too."

Ranka closed the door and Haruhi and I started walking back down the street.

"You seem happy today." I commented.

She nodded, but didn't say anything. I glanced down at the sidewalk. Haruhi crossed her arms awkwardly and said, "You seem out of it today."

I looked up at the sky, "Yeah…you can say that."

"Kaoru is just being Kaoru. Don't worry…he's usually the more mature of the twins. He'll start talking to you eventually."

I stopped. "How did you know I was upset about Kaoru?"

Haruhi smiled, "I just can."

I blinked, and returned her smile before continuing to walk, "So, who are you going to ask to the dance?"

Haruhi blushed a bit and said, "I think the Host Club is doing something different for the dance."

"Oh?"

Haruhi nodded and looked away. I smirked and smiled to myself.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

"I have an announcement to make!" Tamaki declared.

It was Host Club hours and I was dusting the piano keys. I glanced over at Tamaki curiously. He hadn't mentioned to us that there was going to be any special announcement. I looked over to Kyoya, who looked about as clueless as I felt.

_So it wasn't planned…_

All of the girls looked at Tamaki expectantly, awaiting to hear anything he said. Some even pulled out notebooks and pens.

_Geez…he isn't THAT amazing…_

"As you all know, the winter dance is coming up within the next month. We want you all to come an and enjoy yourselves…we've also decided to make it girls' choice, so start asking-"

Tamaki was cut off by his customers all asking him if he'd like to go to the dance with them. Tamaki looked around frantically before Kyoya spoke up.

"I'm sorry ladies, but as hosts, we can't take only one of you to the dance," he pushed his glasses up, "although for a small fee we'll save a dance for you." Kyoya smiled delicately and returned to writing in his notebook as a few girls swooned.

"So Raine, who will you be asking to the dance?" a customer asked.

I looked over at Hikaru and Kaoru. "I…don't know really. I don't know many guys except for the host club…"

**[KPOV -- After Host Clubbing Hours -- Still in Music Room 3]**

"So Kaoru, what do think of me asking Raine to the dance?"

I smiled weakly at my brother, "I thought hosts weren't supposed to have dates."

Hikaru frowned, "Right…"

My smile faltered a bit and I turned away from Hikaru, "You can always just ask her to dance."

Hikaru brightened once more, "Yeah! And do you think she'd be interested in wearing one of mom's new dresses?"

"Yeah…yeah Hikaru, I think she would."

There was a long pause. Hikaru was just staring at me, as though he was trying to figure something out. I laughed and turned around, acting as though I was about to leave.

"Kaoru."

I turned around to see my brother sitting completely still, a look of concern in his eyes. My smile faltered even more and I gave a cracked, "Yes?"

"You're unhappy."

"What are you talking about Hikaru? I'm fine."

Hikaru's expression darkened a bit, "Don't lie to me Kaoru. Especially when it comes to your happiness."

There was another long pause. Hikaru seemed so abrupt. It was…different for him to acknowledge feelings of others…even if it was only myself.

"I-"

"I have an announcement to make!" Tamaki declared.

**[RPOV]**

I was putting tea cups away when Tamaki said he had something important to say. My guess? It had something to do with the upcoming winter dance. We all took a seat in front of him and waited for his 'important announcement.'

"I think that to open the dance, each of us dances with Raine."

…

"What?"

Tamaki turned to me, his eyes star-filled, "Yes, I can see it now. You'd be dancing with each of us, a song and dance to fit our personalities. And you'll be wearing a big, puffy, white dress…"

Another thing everyone should know about me, I'm very uncoordinated on dry land. I can barely do the Macerana without falling flat on my face. Dancing? Not my thing. Not by a long shot.

"Eh…Tamaki-"

"And the lights will be placed perfectly with everyone watching and…"

Plus I'd be dancing with Kaoru, Honey, and Haruhi. With Kaoru not speaking to me, the dance would be awkward. Honey is so much shorter, I'd probably have to pick him up and lead, and then…well Haruhi is a girl, and waltzing with another girl is weird.

"Erm…Tamaki-senpai-" I tried again.

"And I'll get the best hairstylist in town to do your hair…"

I had a feeling that if I wasn't in the picture, Tamaki would be attempting to get Haruhi into this situation. I glanced in her direction. She was staring off into space, probably trying to figure out what's on sale at the market today. Lucky girl…

"Tamaki…?"

Tamaki finally turned to look at me. His smile wide, his hair falling into his face, and his eyes (his very haunting eyes) sparkling.

He seemed so happy. I couldn't take it away. He liked the idea too much for me to ruin it. So…

"This…sounds like…fun…"

"Oh daughter, I knew you would love it! Time for preparations!" Tamaki wandered off to another branch of the Third Music Room, humming to himself.

"…baka." **(1)**

**[Super mega time skip…Winter Dance *December*]**

I was wearing an original Hitachiin design. It was purple, sparkly, and probably cost more than my life. **(2)**

I, however, got it for free.

Auntie took about a million pictures of me before I left for the dance. She teared up and said, "I know I should stay strong…but you look so pretty!"

"Auntie! I'm not getting married!"

Auntie sniffed, "True…but Aoki will love to see these pictures."

I frowned a bit at the mention of my mother, a twinge of homesickness washing over me. "Yeah…mom would like to see me in this dress…"

Auntie and Uncle smiled. Auntie brushed back my bangs and said, "Don't worry sweetheart, we're visiting for Christmas. I'm sure you can wait another week until we leave, alright?"

"Yeah…alright." I said with a grin. I opened the door to see the Host Club already waiting outside in the limo. "Well, I'll see you later tonight."

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the first annual winter ball." The audience cheered for Tamaki, who I had to admit, looked really nice in his white tux. "To open the ceremony, each of us hosts are going to dance with the lady of our host club, Emiko Raine Morelli."

The audience cheered as I stepped out into the middle of the dance floor. I reached out for Tamaki's hand, and we began to waltz. **(3)**

"So," Tamaki began, spinning me, "do you like how we set this place up?"

"You mean how your interior designers set this place up?"

Tamaki dipped me and I heard a small gasp and a, "So lucky…"

He lifted me back up and smiled, "Sure."

"It's very…nice."

He spun me a few more times, "You're very light on your feet."

I blushed a bit and looked away, "I had a good teacher."

And by teacher I meant teachers. As in the whole Host Club taught me how to waltz. The past month had been all about practicing for tonight. After nearly spraining my ankle twice, and falling on my butt more times than I could count, I got the hang of the waltz.

"So princess, are you going to be stealing away the twins this evening?"

"Are you going to be stealing away Haruhi this evening?"

I could feel Tamaki stiffen, but I wasn't about to let up on my questions. "You call her your daughter, do you not?"

"Well…yes, she is important to me. And…yes, I suppose we will share a father daughter waltz."

"But…isn't that what you're doing now?"

Tamaki tilted his head to the side. He lifted me and spun before setting me back down and replying, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is…you call me your daughter…but you call her your daughter too…does that mean that you see us in the same way?"

With one last spin, Tamaki handed me to Kyoya. I looked back to see his face in both shock and confusion. I smirked and turned back to my partner. **(4)**

"He really is an idiot." I said.

Kyoya's smirk showed that he agreed, as he spun me. I sighed and wondered how the rest of the night would go.

"What are you thinking about?" Kyoya asked after awhile.

"I…"

Before I got a chance to finish, Kyoya stepped back and bowed as Honey ran into my arms.

His eyes twinkled and I began to carry him around the floor, laughing and spinning as I went. We probably looked like idiots, but it isn't my fault that he was too short to waltz properly. Besides, this was the most fun out of everyone else's dance.

"Rae-chan! Spin me again!"

I complied and laughed. It was surprising how light Honey was, especially considering his muscle mass and all that cake he eats.

Honey jumped out of my arms and nudged Mori, who came to me and took my hand gently. Dancing with Mori was probably second easiest to Honey, but mostly because he didn't say anything. He just lifted me, spun me, and smiled down at me when I accidentally stepped on his foot. **(5)**

When Mori handed me to Hikaru, my heart started racing faster.

"May I have this dance?" He asked quietly, offering his hand. **(6)**

I nodded and took his hand.

If I didn't know the obvious differences between them, I would've thought that Hikaru was Kaoru. He was being soft and gentle, and when I jumped into his arms, I knew he'd catch me. I knew he wouldn't let go.

"So Raine, I've…been thinking a lot lately…"

I looked up at him. "Yes?"

Pressing his forehead up against mine, he asked softly, "I like you a lot. Would you go out with me?"

"I…"

"You don't have to answer right away." He said calmly, "After all, you still have one dance left."

"Hika-"

"Listen…I want you to be happy, whoever you choose, alright?"

"I-"

"But if it doesn't work with Kaoru, I'll always be right here."

And with that, he pushed me towards Kaoru, who had his hand held out stiffly. **(7)**

"Hello Kaoru."

Kaoru's lips turned up into a small smile as we began to dance. The people in the room started to melt away and all my attention was focused on Kaoru.

"Hikaru…he…"

"I know." he said simply.

"And you aren't…mad?"

Kaoru stared intensely into my eyes, "Why would I be mad?"

"Kaoru…" I spun into his arms.

"Let me have this one last dance with you…and then I want you to be with Hikaru."

I remained quiet for the rest of the dance, moving gracefully with Kaoru. Finally, he picked me up and spun me around, and then set me on the floor. I was supposed to spin towards the audience and then smile, but instead I spun towards the audience and looked back, seeing Kaoru walk away. I held my hand out, even though I couldn't reach him; and I closed it into a tiny fist.

"Kaoru…"

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

Everyone was dancing except for me and a few shy wallflowers who couldn't muster enough courage to ask someone to dance. I was sitting in a chair at a table alone, watching the light glisten off the sparkles of my dress. I sighed and rested my head on my arms.

My eyes focused on Hikaru and Kaoru, who were currently dancing with each other, entertaining a few of their customers. I scoffed and looked over at Honey, who was dancing with a first year and Mori, who was dancing with someone from Tamaki and Kyoya's class. My gaze shifted to Tamaki, who was trying to get Haruhi to dance with him.

"Huh…so my talk worked…" I mused. Unfortunately, although the blush on Haruhi's face was obvious, I could tell poor Tamaki was getting turned down. "Hnn…in due time I suppose."

I sighed again and glanced down at my dress once more. The fact that it was made by a Hitachiin made me think of them. I grabbed a glass of sparkling apple cider and chugged it, feeling terrible.

Hikaru seemed to (surprisingly) understand the situation where as Kaoru did not.

"Not very fair to Kaoru…" I muttered. I glanced up at where the twins once were to see them splitting up. I stood up shakily, and walked over to Kaoru.

"May I…have this dance? It is girls' choice after all."

Kaoru looked at me, and muttered bitterly, "I think you have the wrong twin."

My expression softened, "I think I know the difference between you and Hikaru…please dance with me. I want…I want to tell you something important." I put out my hand, my heart beating quickly to the beat of the music.

There was a long pause before, "Alright…"

I put my arms around him as we began to slow dance, "Where to begin…"

"I think you should be dancing with Hika-"

"No." I rested my head delicately on his chest, "Do you want the truth Kaoru?"

"The…truth?"

We swayed for a few moments before I said, "I like you Kaoru. Like how you like me. But…"

"You like Hikaru more?"

"I like Hikaru too. Not more…just too."

Kaoru rested his forehead against mine, "You mean…you like both of us?"

"I know it sounds horrible…but yes, I like you. Both of you. Very much."

Kaoru smiled at me, a genuine smile. His finger grazed my cheek and he said, "I should probably tell Hikaru."

He squeezed my hands and kissed my cheek. And with a wink, he was gone.

..::.. ..::.. ..::..

The night finally came to a close and I was exhausted. I ended up dancing with the hosts a few more times (save for Haruhi and the twins) along with Bossanova, Nekozawa (who, for some reason, came), and Kazukiyo. I was tired and my heels were killing me. I was ready for home.

But still…I felt as though I couldn't leave without seeing the twins. I was pretty sure they had something to tell me.

So I waited before calling Uncle. I waited out by the front of the school in the dark. In the cold. In the rain. Just for them.

It was getting late, and I was sick of waiting, so I decided to go ahead without saying goodbye when I finally heard a, "RAINE!"

I turned around and saw Hikaru and Kaoru running at me, each with a smile on their face, which was something that I hadn't seen in awhile. I straigtened my self out and braced myself for what was sure to be an impacted hug.

…

I was right.

When the two finally pulled back, Hikaru grabbed one hand, Kaoru the other. I blinked in confusion and looked at them with a sideways glance.

"Raine…" Hikaru started.

"…we both like you…" Kaoru said.

"…and you like both of us…"

"…so we were wondering…"

"If we could share you!" They finished in unison.

I tilted my head a bit, "Share?"

"If you're willing to be shared…we'll share you." Kaoru said sincerely.

I looked at Hikaru and Kaoru. Both so similar, and yet so different. With each of them, I felt a spark. And I knew that spark wasn't going to go away. I needed both of them.

"I…I'm willing to be shared."

**(1) Baka - idiot (quite fitting, no?)**

**For 2-8, don't forget to remove the spaces.**

**(2) Raine's dress is this one (except purple…not red): http: //www. nexteve. Com / shop / ball gowns / F6263_ **

**Random fact I felt like disclosing…this is Raine's hair style for the dance. Remember though, her hair is dark brown http: //weddingbellsblog . Com /wp-content/ uploads/2008/07 /wedding -hairstyle- long-hair .jpg**

**(3) Tama/Rae waltz looks like this: http: //www. youtube . com /watch?v = InGr1sx7XNA **

**(4) Kyoya/Rae waltz looks like this: http: //www. youtube . com/watch?v = hRv65pBIwmY**

**(5) Mori/Rae waltz looks like this: http: //www. youtube . com/ watch?v = llqdXGi5IMQ**

**(6) Haru/Rae waltz looks like this: http: //www. youtube . com/ watch?v = KEdJ6pQXmoU**

**(7) Hika/Rae waltz looks like this: http: //www. youtube . com/ watch?v = WiC1ic1ItQU**

**(8) Kao/Rae waltz looks like this http: //www. youtube . com / watch?v = 10rEF0L8DqM**

**Sorry…I couldn't find any waltzes that would look good with Honey…but I pictured it a bit like how he and Haurhi danced in the final episode...just...longer =]**

**A/N: Wow…this is WAY overdue. Like…it's not even funny…last I updated this was like a month ago…so I hope this uber-duber long chapter makes up for it. **

**And this isn't the end (oh ho ho…course not…I haven't gotten to x-mas or Tama/Haru fluff or the final final FINAL decision...meh…but that all comes later.) so don't worry your pretty little heads. I'll be back.**

**All reviewers get a cookie! :D **


	15. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or Lucky Charms.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 10 (X-Mas Special -- Part 1)**

**(RPOV)**

I wasn't sure how the Christmas season sprang on me so quickly, but it managed to surprise me every year. The members of the Host Club were excited about Christmas, as it was their first year spending it with a 'commoner' (they insisted spending the holiday at Haruhi's house to get the full experience, but she said no, so they settled for my place).

I was at the mall, Haruhi in tow (although she said she'd rather just make something for them, I told her I'd help her buy presents…she said no that she'd rather buy them herself, but I said it was my gift to her…she eventually agreed but shhh, I'm getting her something else too!) looking for presents for each of the boys. We were currently in the food court, munching on some French fries, me, wondering what to get and her, already with a list out of what she was getting.

"You're so organized Haruhi! I never know what to get anyone for Christmas…and now this year I'm going to have to buy more than I usually do."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there's everyone in the Host Club, my auntie and uncle, my parents, my mother's parents, and my trillion cousins on my dad's side."

"Your dad's side?"

"My Italian side…they tend to have big families and they fly in from Italy to visit us every Christmas and they stay until New Years."

"Do you not like them?"

"No! No, I love my big family…it just gets really expensive."

Haruhi smiled. "Well, first thing's first…shopping for the Host Club. They will definitely be the hardest to shop for."

I slumped in my chair. I had no idea what any of them wanted. "Well…I guess we should start then."

* * *

Haruhi and I walked through the mall, trying to find gifts to buy. Haruhi decided that she would just make a cake for Honey using one of her mom's old recipes. I decided to give Honey a VIP pass to Ritorusuiitsu **(1)** and a coupon for 5 free sweets (I had a feeling that he'd probably choose the biggest cakes Auntie had in the shop).

Honey was the only easy one. The other members of the club were going to be harder to please.

"Haruhi, what are you getting everyone?"

Haruhi smiled, "Well…I'm getting everyone something sensible…something they can use in the future."

"Well that defeats the fun of it all." I pouted and started peeking into several shops, but not finding anything good. I sighed in defeat and stuffed my hands in my pockets when something sparkly caught my eye. "Hmm?"

I ran over to the shop and grinned. "Oh Haruhi! I've just solved my problems!"

**[HaPOV]**

When Raine suggested that we'd go Christmas shopping together, I didn't think she had meant for everyone.

"I told you that you shouldn't have bought all that stuff in one go." I said.

Raine was tipping over from all the bags she was carrying. Not only had she bought gifts for each host, but also Nekozawa-sempai, Casanova, Renge, and her entire Italian family. Now she couldn't hold everything that she bought.

"Oh Haruhi!"

I froze, causing Raine to bump into me. "Why'd you stop?"

"Haru-chan!"

I turned around and grimaced, "They're here…of all places…how did they find me here!"

Raine looked at her shoes. "Eh…well…I didn't mean to invite ALL of them…just Tamaki…"

I twitched. "Well now it's your problem." And I quickly ducked into the restroom.

**[RPOV]**

"HEY!" I called, "I was doing you a favor Haruhi!"

But she was already gone. Which meant that I now had six hosts to look after.

"What's with all the bags?" Hikaru asked.

"Just a few gifts…" I said nonchalantly, repositioning the shopping bags in my arms.

"For us?" Kaoru said, leaning up against my side. "Because you know…if you can't find us anything…" he kissed my cheek.

"You could always just pay us in favors. **(2)**" Hikaru finished, kissing my other cheek.

I ducked away. "Tch…you wish." I stuck my tongue out. Hikaru pouted while Kaoru chuckled.

"But they're seriously Christmas presents right?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"A princess shouldn't have to carry such heavy bags by herself!"

"Ano **(3)** that's ok Tamaki, I've got it covered."

"Nonsense! We'll be happy to carry these for you!"

I shook my head, "But there's a chance you'll find the present that I got for you in there, and I want it to be a surprise for you."

"How wonderful! My daughter got a present for her daddy!"

I set the bags down on the floor and placed my hands on my hip, "What did we talk about! I told you no more referring to me as a daughter when you consider Haruhi the same way."

As Tamaki headed towards a corner, I picked up my shopping bags, "Anyways, I have to find Haruhi so we can go home-"

"You're leaving so soon?" the twins asked, both looking a little disappointed.

"We…well…I…guess we don't have to leave…RIGHT now…but at least let me go get her."

"YAY!"

* * *

After quite a bit of convincing on my part, Haruhi eventually accompanied us for another little shopping adventure (she hadn't forgotten our trip to Costco...luckily the mall was a more suitable place for "damn rich people" as she put it).

We walked by a photo booth when Tamaki finally lost it.

"Haruhi! What is this little flashing machine?"

"…it's a photo booth sempai."

"What does it do?" Tamaki and the others were now surrounding the booth, which made me wish that I had a camera to capture the moment.

"It…takes pictures…"

"Haruhi! Come take a picture with daddy!"

"…No."

Before Tamaki had a chance to find another corner, I grabbed his shirt sleeve and pulled him into the photo booth. "Come on you guys!" I called.

Somehow (although we probably went over the safety limit for how many people can be packed into one of those things) we all managed to stuff ourselves into the tiny booth and took a ton of pictures. Silly poses, serious poses.

Eventually Haruhi agreed to take a picture with Tamaki. It was actually a sweet picture of the two of them and I could see a slight blush on their cheeks. I smiled at Haruhi and gave her a wink.

"Hey Raine! Come take a picture with us!" Hikaru called.

I giggled and ran into the booth, where Hikaru and Kaoru were both waiting for me. I fell on both their laps and put my arms around them. The camera flashed.

We quickly changed positions. The twins each gave me a kiss on the cheek and I feigned surprise. The camera flashed and I started laughing.

We switched positions and the twins made a Raine sandwich. Flash.

Pushing them off me took a lot of strength and we ended up falling to the floor. I lifted my hand as the flash went off…whoops.

We came out of the booth as an elderly woman passed. She looked at our pictures and glanced up at me, a horrified look on her face. I suppressed laughter as hard as I could as she scoffed and scuttled away.

"Did…you…see…how…she was…looking…at…me!" I said in between laughs. Hikaru and Kaoru were laughing with me, near tears. After letting the last laugh escape my lips I smiled, "Alright, that was fun, but now Haruhi and I really need to get home and wrap gifts."

I squeezed Hikaru's hand and kissed Kaoru on the nose. I picked up my bags and Haruhi and I left the mall.

"Bye Haru-chan! Bye Rae-chan!" Honey called after us.

* * *

We were celebrating Christmas a little bit early this year, since I had to leave for vacation to go back home for the holidays. The Host Club didn't mind all that much though.

"Oh Tamaki! Can't you wave the mistletoe over here!" a customer asked.

After the customers left, we were going to have a small Christmas party at my house. Auntie was making food and Uncle was even going to stop work a bit early today and join us. I couldn't wait.

"Kaoru, you must know that all I want for Christmas is you…"

"Hikaru…people are staring…"

"Let them stare Kaoru."

I only twitched a little bit this time around. Because I didn't want to be attacked by rabid yaoi fan girls (save for maybe Renge, who I've established a small bond with) Hikaru, Kaoru, and I decided to keep the whole love triangle…whatever you want to call us on the down low. It was a bit weird to continually see them acting intimate with each other…but at least I was never bored…right?

"The love! It's too much!"

I laughed to myself as I put the tea out on their table. "Having fun are we?"

They gave me their signature cheeky grin and returned to their act. I sighed and walked over to Kyoya, who was looking over his present from Renge with intrigue.

"Aren't you going to open it?" I asked. In honesty, I already knew what it was. It was her own yaoi Dōjinshi **(4)** that she gave to each of us. In return, I gave her a few Book 1s of mangas I enjoyed.

Kyoya sighed, "I suppose I will have to at some point." He ripped open the wrapping paper and raised an eyebrow. He pushed the book aside and continued typing on his laptop. When he saw that I wasn't moving, he said, "Do you need something?"

"You're so…not spirited."

It was true. While everyone else was giddy about the time they were getting off from school and eating sugar and talking about holiday plans, Kyoya was strangely quiet.

"I'm not a fan of Christmas. It's very…commercial."

It didn't occur to me that someone could dislike Christmas. I frowned, "That's too bad…are you still coming over though?"

Kyoya sighed, "Yes. I got you each a gift. Although I do not particularly like Christmas, I still feel the need to celebrate."

"Lighten up Kyoya. Maybe this Christmas will be better than the others!" I said brightly.

Kyoya didn't respond…but he did smile.

* * *

We were all sitting in my living room by the fire and the Christmas tree. I smiled and stuck another candy cane in my mouth. We were each opening up our gifts and laughing at what we received or crying because we were so happy.

It made me almost not want to go back home.

"Come on Raine, open the next gift!"

"Alright, alright!" Currently, I've already received a cupcake from Honey, a music box from Mori, a glass doll from Tamaki, a purple digital camera from Kyoya, and a snow globe from Haruhi (she got the hint that I didn't want anything "practical"). I grabbed the first one I saw with my name on it, which so happened to be from Kaoru.

I blushed a bit and opened the gift hesitantly. Inside was gold locket that had 'Forever' engraved on it. I blushed harder as I picked it up from the box and smiled softly. I put the necklace on and smiled, "I love it."

Kaoru blushed a bit and looked away shyly.

Kyoya was next. He was already upset with what he'd gotten (Tamaki thought it'd be funny to get him a yellow rubber duck for Christmas…I got a good laugh…he didn't). He opened up the gift I got him and looked at me in surprise.

"I thought that the Host Club could go digital." I said with a shrug. I had gotten him a PDA. "This way you won't have to waste ink and paper."

Kyoya smiled, "Thank you Raine. It was very thoughtful."

I beamed. I liked when I picked the right gifts for people. Hikaru reached his hand into the pile and grabbed the gift I got for him.

"Wait!" I said. Hikaru looked at me confused. I smiled, "You and Kaoru have to open the present from me at the same time."

"…Why?"

"Thought it'd be more fun that way." I said with a grin, still sucking on the candy cane.

Kaoru grabbed the gift from the pile and looked at his twin. "One…"

"Two…"

"Three!"

Hikaru and Kaoru opened the small boxes to reveal a small plant and a note.

_Sorry I didn't have time to wrap your present. Chase me down and maybe I'll give it to you ;)_

_-Raine-_

By the time Hikaru and Kaoru realized what the note meant, I was already upstairs. I heard Honey ask what the plant was, and Mori tried to explain. **(5)** I giggled and ran into my room, closing the door behind me. I rolled my eyes, sat on my bed, and grabbed their REAL gifts.

"Hikaru, stop pushing me!"

"Where'd she go?"

"I don't know, you said you knew where she went!"

"Well…I don't know…split up?"

I let out a small chuckle. "What knuckleheads."

The door creaked open and in walked Kaoru. "Looks like I get my gift first." he said with a smile.

I gave a smile as Kaoru walked forward. He leaned in and I put a box between his mouth and mine.

"Hey!"

"Ok, so really that mistletoe wasn't your gift…but it was pretty clever, right?" I handed him the box, "This is your real present Kaoru, promise."

Kaoru opened the box to see a small, silver pendent. He blinked and took it out of the package.

"It opens up like a locket."

Kaoru opened the pendant to see a picture of me and him in the middle of a kiss.

"My aunt took that. Don't ask how, but she did."

"Raine…thank you…"

I smiled and we heard footsteps. Kaoru grinned and ducked underneath my bed, "Just say the same thing, ok?"

I sat on my bed softly as Hikaru rushed in. "You have a huge house!"

I smirked, "So, want your gift?"

Hikaru nodded eagerly and leaned in the same way Kaoru did a few minutes ago. The corners of my mouth twitched up and I put a box in between us.

"Hey!"

"Don't be such a brat and take your gift." I said childishly.

Hikaru opened his box to see a bracelet made with brown beads with white kanji on them.

"See…the main two beads are the ones shaped liked a cat and mouse with a heart in between. And then see all the words… 'cute' 'wonderful' 'handsome'…"

Hikaru blinked and slipped the bracelet on his wrist. "Thanks Raine!" Before I could respond, his lips were on mine and before I could respond to that he pulled back. "That was for tricking me."

Kaoru rolled out from underneath the bed, "Hey, she didn't trick us that bad. She gave us mistletoe that we can use whenever we want."

Hikaru helped Kaoru up and they each took a hand. We walked downstairs together happily.

* * *

"What do you mean you're not coming with me!"

Auntie and Uncle looked at each other and sighed. Auntie spoke up first, "We'd love to go to America…I really do want to see Aiko and Leo…but…"

"Han, I'll deal with this." Uncle said. He turned to me, "Listen kiddo, you've come to Japan and back home plenty of times. You'll be fine."

"Yeah…but…I was just planning on us being together for the holidays…"

Auntie and Uncle sighed. Auntie spoke again, "Your house is going to be filled with all of your father's relatives and…well, we feel very out of place. But don't worry Rae, you'll have a great time. You miss your parents very much, don't forget that."

I sighed, "You're right Auntie…but I still don't want to go alone…and we wasted that money on the air tickets."

Auntie and Uncle shared a glance. "Well…"

My ears perked up, "You're coming after all?"

Uncle laughed, "No…but why don't you take two of your friends? They can go in our place."

"Yes, why don't you take Haruhi and that young little French girl."

"Haruhi doesn't have a passport." I explained. Lightbulb. "Auntie, do you think mom and dad would mind if I brought Hikaru and Kaoru along. I think it's about time that they met my parents."

Auntie looked at Uncle again and chewed her lower lip, "Well…Taro…I think Raine's responsible…and I'll call Aiko beforehand to make sure…but I think it is time that those two met her family."

"Yeah, and then they'll find out what they're getting into, what with Leo wanting to have a giant Italian family." **(6)**

I blushed at the statement and turned to Auntie, "Really? They can come!"

Auntie nodded, "Go on and call them and tell them to meet us at the airport at 4 am sharp."

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

The three of us stepped off the plane, the twins exhausted but me with a new energy. I was home. I was truly home.

The lights sparkled the sky and all around was the sound of cars passing by.

I turned to face Hikaru and Kaoru. "Welcome to New York."

**(1): The name of her aunt's sweet shop (Little Sweets is the translation)**

**(2): For those who are slow minded/dense/not as perverted as I am, Hikaru means sexual favors (tch…no duh, right? XD…right? ._.)**

**(3): Ano basically means: Well…err…**

**(4): Dōjinshi -- self published Japanese works…usually manga. **

**(5): The plant is mistletoe…that plant you kiss under…yeah…random fact, that tradition started in Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, etc.) WOOT!! (Ahem…of Scando descent…quite proud to be so :D)**

**(6): Taro means to say that Leo wants lots of grandkids XD. **

**As an FYI…less than one percent of the population in Japan are actually Christian…so X-Mas isn't as big a holiday (they do however, still celebrate it). It's a bigger holiday in Italy (oh…and America…go us! Woot!)**

**Anyhow…my plan is to have the next chapter be the twins and Raine's stay in New York and then the chapter after that will be a bonus chapter of everyone else's Christmas (well…really mostly Tama/Haru with a bit of Kyoya angsting…and then fluff! Because we authors cannot live without the fluff) oh, and you'll find out what everyone got from everyone else (because I spent about two days thinking about gifts for fictional characters and putting off my homework). **

**...Review?**


	16. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or Lucky Charms.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 11 (X-Mas Special -- Part 2)**

**NOTE!!**

Japanese

_English_

**Italian**

Raine can speak: English, Japanese, Italian

Aoki (Raine's mom): Japanese, English

Leo (Raine's dad): Italian, English, and a little Japanese

Twins: Japanese, English

Italian Relatives: Italian and most of them also speak English

This chapter is going to be confusing because of three different languages…so yeah…

**[RPOV]**

I snagged my suitcase as Hikaru and Kaoru had trouble balancing their many cases and bags. I rolled my eyes. I told them we wouldn't be here very long, but they insisted bringing enough clothes for months.

"So, where's your limo driver?" Hikaru asked.

I giggled.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Oh, we aren't going home by limo." I explained. I looked at my watch, "It's about 6 pm right now, so my parents are busy with my dad's family, so they aren't picking us up either."

"So…how are we getting home?"

"The way I usually get home. Subway."

.. .. ..

"_Raine, is that you?"_

I blinked, "_Hello Mr. Reynolds, yes it's me. I'm back in the states for Christmas break."_

Mr. Reynolds was in charge of the subway passes and maps. I met him when I first started taking the subway. His eyes twinkled and he gave a hearty laugh, "_Who are your two friends over there? They look like they've never seen a train before."_

I laughed, "_That's because they haven't. They tend to get around by limo."_

Mr. Reynolds smiled, _"So three weekly passes then?"_

"_Yes please."_

Mr. Reynolds handed me three passes and maps and hurried me off so I wouldn't miss the train.

"Working the subway is pretty easy. You just follow the colored paths on the map to get to your destination. We need to take the red line for two more stops, switch to the yellow, and then walk a bit to get to my house."

The subway dinged to signal it's arrival. The three of us stepped on board and sat down. I tucked my suitcase away. Hikaru and Kaoru fidgeted as they tried to balance their belongings on their laps.

"This is commoner travel." Hikaru pouted, glaring at the other passengers, who were either typing away on their laptops or making a memo on their pagers. A few who had small children tried to shush him.

Kaoru shook his head, "It's fine Raine…besides, we'll be at your house soon."

.. .. ..

"Well…this is it." I said. I pulled a key out of my pocket and unlocked the door.

Hikaru and Kaoru's eyes widened, "IT'S HUGE!"

I smiled, "Penthouse in New York…what do you expect?" I pocketed the key and walked inside to see decorations placed up all around the house. Our tall Christmas tree, stockings, garland, tinsel, flashing lights, and candy canes were all over the room, and likely the rest of the house.

"_Raine?"_

Our eyes shifted to the doorway that led to the kitchen. _"MOM!"_

I ran to my mom and crushed her in a hug. She rubbed my back soothingly, "Welcome back to you too."

"_Is everyone here?"_

"Yes, they're in the kitchen. Oh, these must be your two friends. Hello, my name is Aoki, but Han must've already told you that much."

Hikaru and Kaoru bowed to my mother, making her smile and squeeze my hand. My eyes flickered to the kitchen, "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."

The four of us walked into the kitchen to see my dad and his older brother cooking. My mother gave a slightly _ahem_ to show we were here.

"**Raine!"**

My uncle Russo ran up to me and lifted me into a big hug. **"My little niece, back from Asia! You've gotten so big…almost as big as Pia!"**

Pia was the oldest cousin who came to family gatherings. She was Russo's youngest child (and her two older siblings, Diva and Ricci, refused to come to family gatherings, saying that they were 'too old' for them).

Uncle Russo released me from his firm grip and turned to the twins, **"Who are they?"**

Hikaru and Kaoru wore the same expression of confusion. I gave them both a weak smile, **"This is Hikaru, and that's Kaoru. They go to my school in Japan."** I smiled at the twins, "This is my Uncle Russo, one of my dad's siblings. His wife is my Aunt Antonella and his daughter is Pia…who is probably sleeping right now."

Kaoru smiled, "_Hello Mr. Morelli, it's a pleasure to meet you."_

"**Eh? What is this gibberish? Mind you boy, I don't like gibberish."**

Kaoru sent a worried look to his brother, who just shrugged in return. I sighed, "Oh, see…Uncle Russo doesn't speak English. Neither do my grandparents or the kids." I cleared my throat, **"Sorry Uncle, it's not gibberish, it's English…which you should know."**

"**Hmph. English is for Yankees. I'm no Yankee, so when will I ever need English?"**

My dad cut in, "_You know Rae, maybe you should go introduce the twins to the rest of the family."_

I nodded, _"_Come on, I'll show you your guest room and then introduce everyone."

On the way upstairs, we saw my cousin Pia walking down, her brown hair tied back and her purple eyeshadow slightly smudged. She smiled, **"Ooh…cute boys."**

"_Pia, this is Hikaru and Kaoru, Hikaru and Kaoru, this is my older cousin Pia."_

"_Ooh, do you have a girlfriend back home?" _Pia asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

Hikaru and Kaoru each put an arm around me and grinned from ear to ear. _"She's right here."_ I blushed a crimson color and watched as Pia's eyes went from flirtatious to mischievous.

"_I see you've been working your magic cuz."_

"_Ah! What do you mean by that?"_

"_Does my dad know?"_

"_Well…he knows that they go to my school."_

"_Probably not then. What about your parents?"_

"Ano_…yes…Auntie Han told them."_

Pia raised an eyebrow, _"I…see…well then…" _she continued down the steps, **"I'm sure this will be interesting…to say the least."**

I walked the twins to a large guest room. "Here you are…I'm sure this'll be fine…my room is right across the hall." I pointed to the door with my name carved in it. "If you need anything, I'm right there."

"Oh…anything you say?" Hikaru asked with a grin.

I blushed, "Sh…shut up! Come on, dinner's probably ready by now."

.. .. ..

We all sat down at the long dining room table. My father cleared his throat, **"Alright, so we have a few guests staying with us. They come from Japan and don't speak any Italian, so please be nice and speak English."** he glanced over at Uncle Russo who smiled cheesily. **"And Russo, don't think you can get away with anything, since we can all speak Italian and English."**

"**Hmph."**

I smiled, _"Thank you all for accommodating so nicely. Alright. Well this is my Uncle Russo, who you already met. He doesn't speak English and he's…er…not the brightest of his siblings, but he's really nice. His wife is my Aunt Antonella. She's really into fashion and being up to date on the latest trends. They have three kids and you already met Pia. Diva and Ricci are away at college and dislike coming down to be with the family."_

Aunt Antonella smiled, _"Charmed, I'm sure. I notice that you also have designer clothing…the Hitachiin label." _she grinned, _"Now don't look so surprised, your mother does do international sales. And I just so happen to be one of the lucky women to get a hold of limited edition clothing."_

"_Dad's younger sister Camilla is married to Luigi Bello. They have three kids, the triplets. Bambi, Rosetta, and Trey, who are ten."_

Camilla and Luigi each gave the twins a smile and wave. Trey huffed and crossed his arms, mumbling something about them taking me away from him. Rosetta smiled, but shied away behind Aunt Camilla. Bambi grabbed their hands and looked up at them. She giggled and lifted her hands in the air, **"Pick me up!"**

Kaoru lifted her and spun her around a bit. Bambi rested on his shoulders and whispered something incoherent. When Kaoru tried to put her down, she refused to release his neck. He smiled, and then sat down with her in his lap.

"_Then there's Grandma Andrea and Grandpa Benito…they don't speak any English either. But my grandma is always in the kitchen cooking. Her and my grandpa met when they were kids. Grandpa says that he fell in love with her exuberant personality and amazing cooking. But both usually live with Aunt Camilla, Uncle Luigi, and the triplets. _**Grandma, grandpa, these are my two friends. Won't you say hello to them?"**

My grandma smiled, **"Young love, wouldn't you say Benito?"**

"**Yes my dearest." **

"**Well then…welcome to the family."**

I blushed lightly as Pia smirked. Kaoru looked at me oddly. I shook it off and continued, _"Dad's other brother, Angelo, lives here half the year and in Italy the other half. His wife is my Aunt Rizzo, and they have two kids, Angie, who's seven, and little baby Teo, who's three."_

Uncle Angelo shook each twin's hand, _"Nice to meet you boys. You're making my little niece happy I hope. Nothing too inappropriate?"_

I blushed, _"Oi, hush! They're good to me." _I cleared my throat and avoided eye contact with Hikaru and Kaoru, who were snickering.

Aunt Rizzo gave each boy a hug, "I think it's very sweet that they're allowed to stay over. Now, which one of you is the boyfriend?"

Everyone was silent as they looked at the three of us. My face blushed an even brighter red. I really had no idea how I was going to explain that I was being…shared. Especially in front of my grandparents. My dad looked at me expectantly and my mother put her head in her face.

"_Um…well…you see…" _I looked around the house for something to distract them with…and found nothing. _"I…I'm being…shared."_

**[HPOV -- a few minutes later]**

Hardly anyone in Raine's family would speak to me or Kaoru, not that they could really tell the difference.

"I hate this."

Kaoru nodded grimly.

There was a long pause, and the room felt empty without our toy. She was downstairs, still trying to explain the situation to her dad, who wasn't happy with her or us…or his wife, for keeping it a secret from him.

I sighed as we walked through the halls of the Morelli household.

"I think I'll go to bed now Hika…" Kaoru said sleepily.

I nodded, "Ok, I'll meet you in a few minutes."

Kaoru entered our room and closed the door behind him. I turned my attention to the room across the hall. I was curious to see what Raine's room looked like. I looked over my shoulder, to make sure that no one was watching me, and then I opened the door, and walked inside.

.. .. ..

Raine's room was cold. Colder than the other rooms in the house. I shivered and walked to her desk. Laying on top of a layer of dust was the locket Kaoru got her and the bracelet I got her. They matched, so she could always wear them. I smiled and turned my attention to the rest of the room.

Her bed was white with a flower pattern on the sheets. She had an antique white desk that was covered in jewelry and photos. On the hardwood floor was a blue carpet. I smiled and walked around. There were a few gaming systems and bean bags thrown carelessly on the ground.

I moved to the closet, and opened up the doors. Inside were a few pieces of clothing I hadn't seen before. Dresses and cute t-shirts. And sitting on the bottom of her closet was a box.

Looking over my shoulder again, I decided it wouldn't hurt to take a little peek at what was inside.

I lifted the lid as quietly as I possibly could and looked inside. Lying on top was a bunch of photos. Raine with what seemed to be friends from school (there were two). Then came a binky and a scorched baby dress. On the bottom of the box was a book.

The cover was pink and worn, and I could barely make out the letters. I squinted and saw that it said 'Diary.' My breathing quickened as I opened up to the first page.

_Dear Diary,_

_I turned eight years old today. Mommy and daddy hired a new nanny to take care of me. The last one just couldn't take it I guess._

_I like her I guess, she gave me this book. I'm supposed to write my feelings and secrets, but I really don't know what to say. _

_But yeah…I like her. She has violet eyes, just like mine and mommy's and auntie's. _

_Rae Rae_

I blinked a few times in confusion, not knowing what to make of it. She had a nanny?

I turned the page, hoping to uncover more.

_Dear Diary,_

_The nanny is still here. It's been 2 weeks and she's still here._

_Rae Rae_

_-_

_Dear Diary,_

_The nanny did the funniest thing today. When mommy and daddy were out, she asked me where the fire extinguishers were. And then she said we'd play hide and seek with them. She's so silly. But we never did find them…_

_Rae Rae_

_-_

_Dear Diary,_

_I miss my teddy bear. I can't find him!!_

_Rae Rae_

_-_

_Dear Diary,_

_Mommy and daddy went out a few minutes ago. The nanny (her name is Anita) is making dinner. I'm tired. I can't find my bear._

_Rae Rae_

_-_

_Dear Diary,_

_The nanny is gone. _

_-_

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm glad._

_-_

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been a year._

_-_

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been two years._

_-_

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been three years now. I'm now 11 years old and finally my hair grew back. I think I'm finally accepting all that happened. The only possessions I have left from the fire are my binky, an old baby dress, my teddy bear, and this diary. _

_Anita's eyes still come to me in dreams, and every time I wake up I scream. I hope these nightmares will end soon…or at least stop bothering me all the time. I can't even look in a mirror without feeling the burns on my feet._

_And I always wonder-_

There was a loud creak and I snapped the book shut. I turned around to see a shadow move around, but no one entered the room. I quickly put the book back in the box and made a hasty retreat back to the guest room.

.. .. ..

I looked over at Kaoru, who was looking troubled, not that I could blame him really. After Raine explained our situation to her family, no one except Pia, Bambi, and Mrs. Morelli would talk to us.

There was a light knock on the door. I glanced at Kaoru, but he shrugged. We knew it wouldn't be Raine, since she had fallen asleep awhile ago. I opened the door.

"Oh…hello Mrs. Morelli."

"Hello…um…"

"Hikaru."

"Ah, Hikaru, good evening. Hello Kaoru!"

Kaoru sat up and smiled, "Good evening."

Mrs. Morelli sat down on the edge of Kaoru's bed, "I'd…like to talk to you boys about something."

"Sure, anything." I said.

Mrs. Morelli fiddled with the shawl she was wearing for awhile before she finally spoke up, "Do you…really love her?"

The question took us both by surprise. Kaoru was the first to answer, "I can honestly say that I care about Raine very much, and that yes, I love her."

Mrs. Morelli smiled at him and turned to me, "And…do you, Hikaru…do you love Raine the way that…the way that she loves you?"

I turned my head. Ever since Haruhi turned me down way back in yesteryear, I was always a bit wary with the term 'love.' I loved Kaoru a lot, but did I love Raine just as much? "I…I'm not sure."

Mrs. Morelli nodded. "I see…you boys are very young, and do not understand…" she paused, "Raine loves you both, more than anything. I can see it in her eyes. I can see it in the way they light up when you enter a room or when she speaks of you…the others…Leo's family…well…they are not so certain that you two are the best for her, since…since she cannot decide. How long…how long are you planning to share her."

I exchanged a glance with Kaoru, who answered for the both of us, "We want Raine to decide…and when she does, that's the decision. We just want her to be happy."

Mrs. Morelli nodded again. "I'm glad she has found you both."

And then she stood up and left, "Goodnight."

**[RPOV - a few hours previous]**

I motioned for Hikaru and Kaoru to leave the table while it was still safe. I turned back to my relatives and cringed as they all stared me down…except for my mother and Bambi (who already fell in love with the twins, Kaoru especially). I laughed a bit, and then tried to sneak away.

"_Not so fast young lady." _my dad called, _"Aoki, why didn't you tell me about this?"_

My mom looked down at the floor. _"She deserves to be treated nicely by them."_

"_I told her no boys, expecting one anyways, and yet she brings home TWO! That are SHARING her! She's not a material thing! They can't break her in half!"_

My grandmother sighed and turned to my grandfather, **"Arguing over something petty I believe. Perhaps the two boys…"**

"**Yes mother, they are SHARING my daughter, your granddaughter, doesn't this go against everything we stand for!"**

My grandmother sighed, and sat back in her chair. She thought about the question for a few minutes while my dad continued to yell. But my eyes weren't fixated on him anymore. All of my attention shifted to my grandmother. She looked like she was about to say something important.

"**When I was a little girl, I grew up poor. You know this Leo. My family grew up on the streets. I was fourteen, Raine's age, when I met both Emilio and Benito. They were best friends who grew up in the better part of town. I met them when running errands for my mother. I had run out of money, so they paid for me. After that, we became friends. Soon, I fell in love with both of them. The next four years of my life were the best years, because I got to spend them with the two men I loved more than life itself. And they both treated me like how Hikaru and Kaoru treat Raine. Eventually I made a choice, like Raine will have to as well…but this is…this is nice for her."**

The entire room was silent. My mother shifted her feet, feeling uncomfortable due to the fact that she missed the story. My father sat there in awe, not sure of what to say or do next. I smiled, walked over to my grandmother and kissed her on the cheek. My grandmother grabbed my hand and held it gently, **"Do not take love for granted."**

"**I won't grandma, promise."**

Everyone mumbled quick apologizes, and found that nobody was hungry. We packaged up the food for breakfast the next morning, and everyone hurried off to bed.

Pia slapped me on the back, "You lucked out cuz."

I blushed when I felt a tugging on my hand. I looked down to see Bambi, smiling up at me. **"Does this mean that Hika and Kaoru get to stay?"**

I nodded, which made Bambi scream out in joy. She ran upstairs to her room, singing all the way.

**[next day]**

I awoke to lots of yelling. I groaned, but got up anyways. I looked around my room, happy to see it hadn't changed since I left it last summer. I walked to my dresser and grabbed my locket and bracelet. While fastening them, I rushed to the closet to grab a pair of sweat pants when I saw the corner of a box sticking out.

The color drained from my face as I fell to the ground. I grabbed the box and ruffled through it. Nothing was missing, but the journal was lying on top of the box, instead of it being on bottom. I dropped it and stood up, almost zombie-like.

My parents already know not to touch my stuff…and they're too careful to mess things up if they did. The little cousins can't have, because my room is on a different floor. The adults wouldn't bother…which leaves…

The twins.

**A/N: O-kay. So, sorry this hasn't been updated in FOREVER, so I hope this long chapter makes up for it ^_^ Sorry it's so confusing. But ah well…anyhow, now finals are over and it's winter break. Normally a good thing…sadly, I have English next term and work for said English class I haven't even started yet o.o! So…I probably won't get parts 3 or 4 up until AFTER Christmas…which bothers me greatly. *sigh***

**OK…review?**


	17. Bonus Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Bonus Chapter 5 (X-Mas Special -- Part 3)**

**Note: I was going to do this part last, but I felt like writing it now :D **

**Note 2: Warning: FLUFF ALERT!**

**Edit: Officially a bonus chapter since...well it doesn't affect the main plot in any way o_o**

**(3rd**** Person POV)**

It was Christmas morning and the snowfall was light. The sun reflected off the snowflakes to make them sparkle, creating joy of Christmas all throughout Japan.

Young girls and boys opened their presents early in the day, excited to play with their gifts for weeks to come, until they were used so often they broke. Smiles and laughter could be heard throughout the many cities of the country.

But Kyoya Ootori was not feeling the joy that Christmas brought to all others. Instead, he was grumpy from lack of sleep and cold from the snow. These were two things he hated more than anything else in the world, even compared to Tamaki when he called him 'mother.'

"Come on Kyoya! Join in on the fun! Christmas only comes once a year." his sister, Fuyumi said happily. She had a candy cane in her mouth and was recklessly unwrapping presents, whether they belonged to her or not.

"Christmas isn't even a Japanese holiday…and shouldn't you be out with your husband now?" Kyoya said flatly. He always hated that Fuyumi was still a big child, even though she was older than him. Seeing her act more like 5 instead of 25 unnerved him.

Fuyumi stopped unwrapping gifts and stared at Kyoya, her eyes filling up with tears, "Come on Kyoya…you act just like Scrooge. You should go spend Christmas with your friends…since no one is here…"

It was true. The Ootori household was completely empty, save for Kyoya and Fuyumi. The maids all took the day off to spend time with family and Kyoya's father and brothers were at work, refusing to stay at home even once this year.

"We already celebrated."

Fuyumi slumped, "Look Kyoya, one of these days you'll get your Christmas spirit back. But until then, you're just going to spread around dismay, which is NOT acceptable on Christmas day. Now go get dressed, you're going out, whether you like it or not!"

Kyoya twitched, but he knew arguing with Fuyumi would be futile. He learned a long time ago that Fuyumi gets what she wants, no matter what lengths she has to go through to get it. He reluctantly walked back to his room to get dressed, but he was slow about it.

As Kyoya entered his bedroom, his cell phone rang. He glanced at caller ID and saw it was Tamaki. Sighing, and knowing he would regret it later, he answered.

"Joyeaux Noel Kyoya!"

"Merry Christmas Tamaki."

"You sound upset."

"I can assure you I'm not upset."

"Did I catch you while sleeping?" There was a short pause, before a meek, "I'm sorry Kyoya, I can call back later."

Kyoya pushed up his glasses and sighed, "No, I'm awake. Is this all you called me for Tamaki?"

"Oh, we're having a party at Haruhi's house tonight! Commoner's Christmas, won't that be fun?"

Kyoya didn't bother asking if Tamaki asked ahead of time if they could go over, since he knew the answer would be 'no.' He made a mental note to call Ranka and let him know of their visit. After a quick goodbye to Tamaki, ignoring his pleads to come out and have a snowball fight, Kyoya hung up the phone and got dressed for what he was sure was going to be a terrible day.

**(Meanwhile, with Tamaki)**

Tamaki, on the other hand, was full of Christmas spirit, giving all of the maids in the house the day off, regardless of their "Oh, it's fine" and "Master Tamaki should not be left alone on Christmas" comments.

After calling Kyoya, Mori-Senpai, and Honey-Senpai, all he had to do was call the unscrupulous twins, Raine, and Haruhi.

He decided to start with the twins. He waited three rings before he heard two voices, "What is it Tono?"

"Hikaru! Kaoru! Joyeaux Noel!"

There was a long pause.

"Tono, we're kinda busy."

In the background, Tamaki could hear a soft, "Is that Tamaki? Doesn't he know what time it is over here?"

"Is that my daughter! Oh Happy Christmas my precious daughter!"

There was a muffled giggle before Raine grabbed the phone and said, "You're…a bit…early Tamaki…Christmas isn't until…tomorrow."

Tamaki stared at the phone before recomposing himself, "Raine-Chan, why are you out of breath? You sound like you were running a marathon."

There was a long pause filled with laughter, "Hikaru! Cut that out!"

"What's he doing?" Tamaki asked.

Instead of being met with an answer, he heard, "Why? You know you like it!"

"Hikaru, that tickles!"

"Hey Raine, kiss me next."

_THUD!_

"What was that?" Tamaki asked.

"Oh…Kaoru fell on the floor."

"Wha…"

"We were on the bed, and Kaoru fell to the floor."

"WHAT WERE YOU THREE DOING!"

There was more muffling before a twin answered, "Having fun."

Click.

Tamaki twitched.

**(With Haruhi)**

Haruhi was washing the dishes and watching the snow fall. She always hated the cold, and hated Christmastime. Both things reminded her of her mother, and that always stung, no matter the circumstances.

"Oh HARUHI!"

Ranka, however, loved Christmas more than life itself, and always talked about the season of giving and how family time was important, etcetera, etcetera.

Haruhi placed the last dish in the cabinet and turned to her father, "Good morning dad."

Ranka beamed and handed his daughter a clumsily wrapped package. "I have to be at work today Haruhi, but I'll be back for dinner."

Haruhi nodded, "Oh, and dad?"

Ranka looked at his daughter, who quickly ran to her room and grabbed her own gift. She gave it to him and smiled, "Merry Christmas."

Ranka smiled and gave Haruhi a quick kiss on the head before leaving the house. Haruhi plopped down at the kitchen table and sighed to herself. She turned to the picture of her mother and gave a small smile. She didn't have that many memories of her mother, but she remembered that she loved Christmas.

The quiet moment was ruined when her phone vibrated. What made it worse was that Tamaki's name showed up in the ID. Haruhi flipped open the phone and before she could utter a "Moshi moshi" Tamaki was already talking a mile a minute.

"Oh Haruhi it was awful! Those unscrupulous twins! Think of what they're doing to poor Raine! We never should have let all three of them go to America!"

"Senpai!"

Tamaki suddenly stopped talking.

"Tamaki-Senpai…I think Raine can manage. Now, I have homework to do, good-"

"Oh wait Haruhi, we're all coming to your house for Christmas tonight!"

"Hey, when did I agree to-"

Click.

Haruhi rolled her eyes and put the phone back in her pocket, "Well, I suppose if the Host Club is coming over, I better head over to the supermarket to get some groceries."

**(With Kyoya)**

"Fuyumi, is this necessary?"

It was nearly noon and the snow was still falling. Fuyumi was pulling her younger brother through the streets of Tokyo, laughing and singing American carols the whole way. Kyoya pretended he didn't know her for a while, but eventually just ignored her altogether. However, Fuyumi was constantly pulling him in and out of stores, and Kyoya was getting bored.

Fuyumi giggled, "Of course it is silly. When you find your Christmas spirit, THEN you can go home!"

Kyoya sighed, "That'll take awhile."

"We've got time."

Kyoya looked at the snow covered ground in defeat. "Better call Tamaki."

**(With Tamaki)**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU AREN'T GOING!?!?"

"Exactly that Tamaki. Fuyumi is spending the day with me instead. Sorry."

"SORRY! KYOYA YOU DON'T SOUND VERY-"

Click.

Tamaki closed his phone. Honey-Senpai and Mori-Senpai called earlier and explained that they had kendo practice and family dinners the whole day. Now Tamaki would have to go to Haruhi's house alone.

"Alone…with…Haruhi…"

Tamaki didn't know what to do, so he picked up the phone and considered calling Raine. He had no idea what time it was in America, and after the last phone call, he was slightly scared to call the Morelli household.

Finally, Tamaki decided to be brave enough to call.

After two rings, there was a groggy, "It's still not Christmas here yet."

"Raine?"

"What do you want Tamaki, I was sleeping."

"Oh…what time is it over there?"

"10 pm…but if you spent all day with my family, you'd think it was much later. What do you want?"

Tamaki quickly explained that he made plans to go to Haruhi's with everyone, but then everyone backed out. He wanted to go, but was going alone weird?

There was a long pause.

"Ever think that maybe they backed out on purpose?"

"Why would they do that? Everyone loves Haruhi…"

Tamaki heard Raine make an irritable sigh, "I didn't want to have to explain this to you, so I'll give you one more chance to figure it out. Remember a long time ago at the winter dance?"

"Yeah…"

"Remember how I asked you if you considered us in the same way?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, what's your answer?"

Tamaki thought about Raine's question before snapping his fingers, "You don't like it when I call you daughter. So then from now on I shall call you onee-chan! **(1)**"

There was a long pause before Raine said, "Forget it. Look Tamaki, just go to her house, spend some time with her. Maybe something will get through that thick skull of yours."

"But-"

Click.

Tamaki held the phone out in front of him and sighed.

**(With Kyoya -- a few hours later)**

Fuyumi held all her bags happily. "Kyoya, I can't believe you didn't find any Christmas spirit today!"

"If you think Christmas spirit comes down to how much you can buy, I'm sure you can imagine why I dislike the holiday."

Fuyumi rolled her eyes, "You are such a scrooge. Besides, this isn't for me, it's for the orphanage by my vacation home in Kuruizawa. I'm delivering them later tonight…but it's already getting dark, so I'm going home to wrap."

Kyoya sighed, "Well, you enjoy yourself then."

"You aren't coming home?"

Kyoya hesitated, but said, "No, I'm not."

Fuyumi looked at him in surprise, but nodded slowly, "Ok. Just be back before curfew, you know dad hates it when you're late."

Kyoya gave a grim smile and didn't mention that their dad never noticed whether or not he was ever home anyways, "Right."

Fuyumi pulled opened the car door and gave a small wave, which Kyoya returned. As the limo drove off, Kyoya set off down the street to get something to eat.

While walking, more snow fell, and Kyoya was staring at the ground as the ground crunched beneath him. He wondered why he was staying in the cold instead of going home.

"It might be because I don't want to see my brothers act so…so-"

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

Kyoya had collided with a young woman, who had packages sprawled on the ground. She was frantically picking them up, and apologizing again and again.

"Gomen, I did not see you!" she repeated. She picked up her hat, which had also fallen. It was a cotton 'Santa Hat' which matched her red and green outfit. Kyoya suppressed the urge to twitch at the girl's spirit.

"It's quite alright." Kyoya said dully.

She shook her head, "No, no…let me make it up to you in some way." Kyoya noted that her voice was quite high and reminded him slightly of bells.

"I'm fine, you really should be going to spend time with your family."

The girl flinched, "Oh…um…I don't really have any." she paused and rethought her words, "No! I didn't mean I'm parentless…and I have lots of siblings…but I'm the youngest and tend to be forgotten."

Kyoya frowned, "I know the feeling."

"Oh…I, uh…didn't mean to make you feel this way. I'm sorry, again." Another pause, "My name is Noelle."

"Doesn't sound very Japanese."

"Oh, well…I'm not from around here…actually, I live up North, but we're visiting Japan since my father has business here."

"On…Christmas?"

"Oh…well uh…he's quite dedicated to his work."

"I…understand." Kyoya paused to see the girl blushing slightly and looking at the ground, "Ootori Kyoya."

"What?"

"You told me your name, it's only polite if I give you mine as well."

Noelle nodded. "Um…well, to make up for running into you, do you want me to buy you something to eat…it's kind of late." Noelle gestured to the restaurant they were standing in front of and looked at her shoes. Kyoya's lips twitched into a small smile.

"I'd be delighted princess."

Noelle blushed again as Kyoya opened the door, and the two hurried inside, glad to be away from the cold.

**(With Tamaki)**

Tamaki fidgeted nervously outside the Fujioka household. He had a feeling Ranka had come home and feared going inside by himself.

"I don't understand…being Haruhi's father I should want to see my daughter, but…"

While Tamaki was contemplating on whether or not to knock, the door swung open, revealing Haruhi. She was dressed in a red sweater with blue jeans and was staring at Tamaki, who was oblivious to her presence.

"Um…senpai?"

"Of course, she always says that she already has a dad…and what did Raine mean exactly…"

"Senpai?"

"I mean…considering them the same way…but now she's my onee-chan, so I don't see why she's still so irritable…"

"Tamaki-Senpai!"

Tamaki turned around nervously to see Haruhi standing in the doorway, looking at him with her eyes. He blushed furiously and grabbed her in a tight hug, "So cute!"

"Uh…senpai…you're kind of squishing me."

Tamaki pulled back to see Haruhi's cheeks were tinged pink. He shook it off and smiled. "Can…I come in?"

"Uh…sure, but…where is everyone else?"

"Huh? Oh…that's right. Did I forget to tell you? Well…everyone else made other plans and cancelled. But onee-chan said something about it being on purpose. Do you know anything about that?"

"Onee-chan?"

"Oh, that's Raine, so now you're my only daughter!"

"Great…"

Tamaki walked around Haruhi's small apartment and admired their Christmas tree. He glided into the kitchen where Haruhi was pouring ramen into two cups. "Where is Ranka-san?"

"Dad had called and he has to work an extra shift tonight, so it's just us."

"Oh…that's great!" Tamaki said, sitting at the table. "Uh…were you alone all day today?"

Haruhi stopped moving for just the slightest second, but said, "Yeah, but it was ok. I got a lot of work done."

"So…you don't care at all?"

"Well, I wanted him to be home…but nothing could be done about it. We'll just celebrate tomorrow."

"I'm sorry…"

The pair sat in an awkward silence before Haruhi said, "I…wouldn't worry about it. It's fine senpai, really."

Tamaki looked down at his ramen cup, now feeling sad that Haruhi couldn't spend time with her family. He looked up at her and smiled softly, "Would you like to go on a walk with me?"

"What?"

"Outside. Christmas is almost over…but it's snowing and I think a White Christmas is something to celebrate."

"Oh…ok…let me…go grab my coat." Haruhi said, feeling flustered. She hurried out of the room, hiding her face, hoping he didn't see how red it was.

**(With Kyoya)**

"A host club you say, how fancy. I guess that's where all the manners came from."

"Yes…well, it was all Tamaki's doing I suppose."

"Ah…Tamaki…is he a friend of yours?"

A slight smirk flashed across Kyoya's face, "You could say that."

Noelle smiled as she sipped her hot chocolate, "You are…different than you appear. I never thought you'd agree to spend all this time with me."

"Well…it's certainly better than going home, wouldn't you say?"

Noelle cast her glance to the floor, "I suppose…but I'm leaving tonight."

"Oh? Your father's work will be done tonight?"

"Yeah, we have to be in New York by tomorrow morning." Noelle rested her head in her palm, "I wish my father wasn't always so busy, but it's always been like this. And mother simply won't do anything about it."

Kyoya finished his coffee and set the mug on the table, "What does your father DO exactly?"

Noelle flushed a bright red, "Ah…no, it's embarrassing…especially compared to what your family does."

Kyoya smiled at her, "You can tell me."

"Ano…dad works with toys…mom bakes…my brothers and sisters all want to be their successors. It's really not any fun being the baby of the family."

"Is that what all those bags are for? Your father's work?"

"Well…actually, every Christmas I hand out gifts to people who need them."

"Oh? You donate to orphanages?"

Noelle fidgeted in her seat, "Not exactly. Um…how do I explain this…" she scratched the back of her head, "well, I just…give gifts to people who are feeling down. You know…the type who dislike Christmas and don't understand that the season isn't about gifts at all! It's about…cherishing what you have. Family…and…well I try to remind them of that."

"By giving them…gifts?"

Noelle glanced at the bag and pursed her lips, "Well…they aren't…NORMAL gifts…it's hard for me to explain since it gives away family secrets and such…but…" she pulled one of the bags towards her and rifled through it. "Kyoya…I think you lost touch of what Christmas and family time is…I understand…which is why I want to stop it all." Noelle pulled out a brightly wrapped box and handed it to Kyoya with a smile.

"For me?"

Noelle nodded, "I…I have to go now. Merry Christmas Kyoya."

"Merry…Christmas."

Kyoya eyed the box warily and lifted it. It was nearly weightless. He sighed and pulled on the ribbon delicately. He unwrapped the paper as carefully as possible to save the paper, and what was inside the box surprised him.

It was a family portrait. But not one of those formal, stiff ones that the Ootori family took every year to send to relatives. No…this one was taken several years back, when Kyoya was only seven. The entire Ootori family was standing by the Christmas tree, the children playing with toys and Kyoya's father giving Kyoya's mother a kiss on the cheek. That year had been Kyoya's favorite Christmas, as everyone was there to celebrate it.

"But how…" Kyoya looked up outside the shop window to see Noelle wave, and then she disappeared.

Kyoya looked back down at the picture and felt a warmth glowing inside him. "I suppose…Christmas…isn't all bad after all."

And then Kyoya stood and went home.

**(With Tamaki and Haruhi)**

Tamaki and Haruhi were walking in the park, enjoying the snow. It was dark outside, but the streetlights were reflected off the snow, making it sparkle. Haruhi couldn't help but be happy, despite her dislike for Christmas.

"Do you…enjoy this?" Tamaki asked.

Haruhi couldn't muster up her voice, so she nodded.

The two shuffled in the snow a little more before Tamaki stopped. Haruhi turned around and was instantly hit with a snowball. Tamaki grinned childishly at her.

"I never did get to have a snowball fight today."

Haruhi grinned and picked up a clump of snow by her feet. She threw it at Tamaki with all her might and got a direct hit to his chest, resulting in a laugh.

Tamaki retaliated by throwing more snow and eventually the two were in an all out snow war.

After a while, the pair collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, their faces red from the cold. Tamaki was still chuckling and Haruhi was clutching her sides to stop herself from giggling. She couldn't remember a time when she had this much fun in the snow.

"Tamaki…"

"Yes?"

"Do you…want to make snow angels?"

Haruhi suddenly felt silly asking Tamaki to partake in such a childish act. She wasn't even sure herself why she wanted to make a snow angel…she hadn't made one since her mother died.

"Sure but…how does one go about making snow angels?"

Haruhi smiled as she began moving her arms and legs. Tamaki looked at her oddly, but imitated the movement. After a minute, Haruhi stopped and stood.

"Wow. Aren't they beautiful Haruhi!"

Haruhi looked at the two angels in front of her, connected by the tip of their wings, as though they were holding hands. She blushed again and looked down. "Very much so senpai."

"Could you…call me Tamaki? Like you did earlier?"

Haruhi felt the blush creep up to her face again, "Ok…Tamaki." Now saying his name felt alien and different to her.

"Do you wish to go home Haruhi?"

Haruhi didn't, but she nodded. They walked back to her house in silence…but it was nice.

As they reached the front door, Tamaki blurted, "Thank you for spending Christmas with me!"

Haruhi nodded and felt embarrassed all over again. She looked at the floor, "Your welcome sen-Tamaki."

"I'll…see you when school starts again, right?"

"Mmm-hmm…"

"Ok…"

There was another silence before Tamaki reached over and placed his lips on hers. Haruhi felt her face flush and her body go numb, but she…liked the feeling.

And suddenly, the feeling was gone as Tamaki pulled away, his face a light pink. "Bye."

Tamaki disappeared into the night as Haruhi slowly brought her hand up to her mouth.

And smiled.

**(1) - Onee-chan = sister (technically, it means older sister but imauto-san *younger sister* doesn't have the same ring)**

**!!!! Sorry…I had to get that out of my system. I worked so flippin' hard on this chapter. So…much…FLUFF! I'm on overload right now. **

**So er…review? Pretty please?**

**Oh, btw: Yes, Noelle is quite random and I don't think she'll make another appearance…I just felt like writing with Kyoya.**

**PS. Sorry Honey and Mori didn't get featured in this one…perhaps a bonus chapter in the near future, eh?**

**PPS. 12 pages! I think that's a record.**


	18. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 12 (X-Mas Special -- Part 4)**

**Italian**

_English_

Japanese

**[KPOV]**

Whatever Raine said to her family seemed to work because when Hikaru and I came downstairs for breakfast (although it was against Italian tradition to eat 24 hours before Christmas, Aoki-san made meals for Hikaru and I) everyone was polite and even Uncle Russo tried attempting speaking English.

"_Sleep how did you boys?"_

Hikaru smiled, _"Well. And you?"_

"**I don't understand this…this blasphemy of a language!"**

Several of the relatives pat his back sympathetically. Bambi got up from her spot at the table and walked over to me, **"Up?"**

I chuckled and lifted her into my lap. She buried her face into my sleeve and smiled contently. I pat her back kindly…at least I truly won over one of Raine's relatives.

"Seems Raine has some competition." Hikaru teased.

I laughed as Bambi rested her head on my shoulder, "Kaoru."

Hikaru's fork clanged against his plate as I pulled Bambi away from my shoulder, "W-what?"

She grinned and looked up at me with her big eyes, "Kaoru." she repeated.

I blinked in surprise, _"How did you know that I was-"_

I was cut off by Raine's Aunt Camilla, _"Don't worry Kaoru, Bambi is quite bright for her age…and she's a triplet. I'm sure she's good at figuring out differences…that, and she's always had a knack for those 'spot the differences' games."_

I nodded, still feeling slightly surprised, _"Thank you Mrs.-"_

"_No need for formalities. We might be related some day." _she winked, _"Just call me Camilla."_

I nodded again and blushed slightly, "H-hai."

Camilla smiled and everyone returned to what they were doing…namely, playing poker.

I glanced at the staircase in both worry and anticipation. Raine was usually up by now. _Is she sick? Is she jet-lagged? Does she regret coming home?_

And just as I thought it, Hikaru asked (quite loudly and obnoxiously I might add), _"Where's Raine-Chan?"_

"_Well, aren't you eager?" _Pia asked, glancing up from her cards. She gave a devilish smirk as she laid them out in front of her, much to the dismay of her family members. She collected her money happily. _"She'll be down soon, I'm sure she's just freshening up for her fidanzato! __**(1) **__Ok, my deal!"_

I glanced at the staircase again, but instead of being met with an empty ascending flight of stairs, I saw I disgruntled Raine. Her hair was sticking out in every way imaginable and she looked like she was about to murder someone. I swallowed and looked at Hikaru, "What did you do?"

Raine stormed over and picked Bambi up off my shoulder. She grabbed my wrist violently with one hand and pulled on Hikaru's shirt collar with the other, dragging us out into another room.

**[RPOV]**

I pulled the twins into the living room and glared. "What were you two doing in my room!"

Kaoru looked at me and tilted his head a bit in confusion. _Not him._ I concluded. As good as he may be in the Host Club, Kaoru was an overall terrible actor. I nodded to myself. "Never mind Kaoru. You're fine. You should go back to the kitchen and save Bambi from boredom…she's probably already missing you anyway."

Kaoru nodded and gave Hikaru a smile, as if to say 'whatever you did I'm glad I'm not a part of it.'

Once Kaoru left I looked at Hikaru and hissed, "What were you doing in my room goring through my stuff!"

"And what makes you think it was me, huh?"

I reached into my back pocked and pulled out the bracelet I got him for Christmas. As the kanji sparkled from the lights, my eyes filled with tears. "How could you?"

**[HPOV]**

So that's where it went! My eyes widened and I grimaced. Of COURSE I'd lose my bracelet in Raine's room. I swallowed as she continued to stare at me with her tear-filled eyes. I didn't know what to do in this situation. I glanced around, hoping the walls would give me the answer. My gaze landed back on Raine as she gripped my bracelet like her life depended on it.

The next move I made I knew would murder me, but I asked, "Is that why you were so afraid of Tamaki?"

Raine's breathing hitched and I could tell she wasn't expecting me to ask her that. "I see…I was right then…you did read my diary…" Her eyes were cast downward and I could see that she was shaking. When she looked back up her tears started spilling over, "D-d-does K-k-k-Kaoru kn-know?"

"…no."

She stared at me, her mouth slightly agape. I knew why. I told Kaoru everything…or, at least I DID at one point. I gave her a soft smile, "Listen, I-"

But I never got to finish. Raine began sobbing as she hit my chest again and again, "I HATE YOU! You hear me Hikaru Hitachiin! I HATE YOU!"

My smile faltered. I closed my eyes as she continued to hit me and wrapped my arms around her tightly. She continued to cry as I held her, and I still didn't know what to do…but I wanted to help her in some way.

As the minutes passed by, Raine's sobs became sniffles and she pulled back. Her hair fell flat around her face, her purple eyes were puffy and her face was red and tear-stained. She looked at me almost helplessly and choked, "Can I tell you…everything…please?"

I nodded hesitantly.

Raine grabbed my hand delicately and led me to her room. She sat down on her bed and patted the spot next to her, inviting me to join. I sat down beside her and offered a smile. She closed her eyes for a long time before she began.

"When Anita came I was wary of her. I had already exhausted myself trying to get rid of all the other nannies." she hugged her legs to her chest. "I didn't like them…I wanted to spend time with my parents but no matter how many of them I chased out, more kept flocking towards us." She pulled out the diary that was hidden behind her pillow now. She leafed through it without reading it, "She gave me this on her first day…saying how her own daughter loved writing in one of her own. My parents ate it up and hired her on the spot. After that, she moved in with us, like the previous nannies had…so that way she could be called upon when needed. It was like a live in maid basically. Quite ironic, considering my mom hates it when others do the housework…but that's what she did all day, when she wasn't looking after me that is." There was a long pause, and I first I thought she was going to say she regretted telling me anything, but she continued, "I had a teddy bear as a child. I named him Pongo."

I blinked, "Um-"

"Yes, he's very important to what happened." she replied softly, "Pongo was given to me by Auntie…her and Uncle used to live with us…before all the nannies that is. Pongo was Auntie's goodbye present, so I treasured him like I treasured nothing else. Anita knew this only because I took him everywhere. I refused to eat unless he was at the table or go anywhere unless he was in the car. He was…my best friend I guess you could say." she cleared her throat, "One day, Anita wanted to play hide and seek, but she said we should play with something in the house. I was a kid…and I thought things could talk and such. So she took the fire extinguishers and said, I think Bob and Marley want to play hide and seek. So I closed my eyes and counted to ten. When I opened them, Anita was next to me and we began our search, but we never found them. I didn't think anything of it though…after all, I was only eight years old."

I could only stare as tears came to her eyes again.

"A few days later, Pongo went missing and I cried for hours. Anita tried soothing me by bringing me my other toys, but it was all in vain. Pongo was the only thing I wanted." she gave a feeble laugh, "It really was my downfall in the end though. About a week later I found Pongo in my parents' room. Normally, I wasn't supposed to go in there, since the door sometimes got stuck if you shut it too hard, but I was too excited to care."

"What happened?"

"That's when the fire happened, but I was too young to notice. Fire and destruction meant nothing to me. Until it reached the room I was in. It burned my feet so bad I couldn't walk for months! And the worst part of it all was that Anita stopped by my parents room while she was going out. She had a gasoline tank in her hands! She smirked and closed the door to the room. But her eyes…her eyes were so full of hatred, and I…I didn't know why! Why was she doing this to me? And to me alone? My parents were gone and…" she gulped and gasped for breath as I placed my arm around her protectively.

"Its ok…you don't have to say any more."

Raine shook her head, "No…I…when they caught her I could hardly bring myself to say it was her. I just…she…she had a daughter my age who died in a fire. And by killing me…it was like avenging a death somehow…I think it happened at my father's company but…Hikaru it was AWFUL! There's nothing more I want to do thank strangle her and and and and…" Raine broke off and began sobbing into my shoulder again.

Anger rose in me. I had gotten mad before, but I never felt so angry in my life. And what was worse? I couldn't DO anything about it. All I could do was hold the shaking girl in my arms and kiss her tears away until she stopped crying. Finally she looked up at me, smiling almost, and said, "Thank you Hikaru."

I was about to say "Your welcome" when she cut me off with a kiss. I blinked in surprise but placed my arms around her waist and closed my eyes. Her hair tickled my face so I pushed it back gently.

This moment felt so…right. And complete. And-

"**Raine and Hikaru sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"**

And there goes the perfect moment.

**[KPOV]**

I used to wonder what went on in little kids' brains. Now I realize that it's pretty much a jumbled mess.

Bambi had pulled me around the house, showing me everything, when we went by Raine's room. The door was open and I could hear choked back sobs.

"Perché è lei piangere?" **(2)**

I stared blankly at her before she placed her finger to her eye and ran it down her cheek. Crying.

I shrugged my shoulders, but the crying stopped. We peered into the room, trying to be inconspicuous, when Hikaru and Raine stared kissing. I tried grabbing Bambi's wrist to give them their moment, but she broke out in song.

I know for a fact that Bambi is smart.

So…why?

Raine looked at us and burst out laughing. She ran to Bambi and picked her up, throwing her over her shoulder playfully.

"Perché non vi bacio Kaoru? Voi amate lui più giusto?" **(3)**

All I caught was my name, but Raine blushed and looked away from her cousin's gaze. "I non lo so." **(4)**

Hikaru and I blinked in confusion. Raine turned to me, "As you probably guessed, everything's fine now." she smiled brightly as she set Bambi down. She smiled up at me and ran off back to the kitchen.

"What…did she say?"

Raine blushed, "I…uh…she said that she really likes you and hopes you can stay."

**[RPOV]**

So I lied. That wasn't what Bambi said…but that was the underlying meaning, right?

Did I love Kaoru most? That's what she had asked.

I looked between him and Hikaru. I still couldn't decide. Both of them were just…so wonderful!

I laughed and grabbed a pillow sitting on the floor in my room. I smacked Kaoru in the head with it.

"Hey!"

He moved to take my weapon of choice, but I ran into the hall, "Good luck catching me!"

**[A few hours later…]**

It was six o'clock…one more hour until we all got to open ONE gift. It was a tradition in our family. One gift on Christmas Eve…and then we have to wait until Christmas morning for the rest.

Hikaru and Kaoru had collapsed on my bed in laughter. I was in the doorway with three water bottles for us. After we had raced around the house, we got all the little kids excited and they joined us in "battle" meaning…we spent all day making forts and having pillow fights. I'm pretty sure marshmallows were also involved, since there were three stuck in my hair.

I was about to ask what they wanted to do next when Hikaru's phone rang. "You… answer it…Kaoru…" he said in between laughs.

"It's…your…phone…Hikaru…"

Hikaru glanced at caller ID, "It's the boss."

Kaoru sat up as Hikaru answered, "What is it Tono?"

Quite unsurprisingly, there was a loud (and obnoxious), "Hikaru! Kaoru! Joyeaux Noel!"

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at me as I raised an eyebrow. They smirked, "Tono, we're kinda busy."

I giggled. "Hey, that's Tamaki isn't it…doesn't he know what time it is over here?"

Instead of an answer, I was met with a pillow being thrown at my face. I growled slightly and threw it back. I jumped on the bed and smacked them a few times, missing whatever it was Tamaki said next. However, I did hear the word 'daughter.'

"You know…Tamaki…you're a bit…early…Christmas isn't until…tomorrow." I said in between breaths. Hikaru and Kaoru were sitting on me so I would stop hitting them, and however thin they might've looked, they were HEAVY!

"Raine-Chan, why are you out of breath? You sound like you were running a marathon."

I choked a bit. I was going to turn blue if they continued to sit on me. I put the phone in the crook of my neck, "Get off of me."

Hikaru only smirked and tickled me senseless. Tears started pouring out of my eyes, "Hikaru, cut that out!"

"Why? You know you like it." He teased. I stuck my tongue out at him.

He ran his hands down my sides again. I squirmed and giggled, "Hikaru that tickles!"

I wiggled myself out enough to sit up, and I kissed him on the nose.

"Raine, kiss me next!" Kaoru said cheekily.

THUD.

Hikaru pushed Kaoru off the bed. Now he was glaring up at us. I laughed again.

"What was that?"

Oh, Tamaki, that's right. I coughed, "Er…Kaoru fell on the floor."

I knew he was going to be puzzled. I tried again, "See, we were on the bed and then Kaoru fell." Actually, that was probably a worse choice of words than before.

"WHAT WERE YOU THREE DOING!"

Hikaru grabbed the phone and said, "Having fun."

He hung up and looked at us. I grinned, "Any chance you'll get off me now?"

"No." But he said it with a smile, so I figured I was safe.

**[Christmas Day]**

When I woke up on Christmas morning, I felt a new kind of joy. I looked out my window to see snow. I grinned, I loved a White Christmas. "I wonder if it's snowing in Japan right now."

And then I remembered the phone call I got a few hours ago and wondered how Tamaki and Haruhi's date went. "Hopefully well…"

I got up and ran downstairs to see the kitchen filled with food. Normally, Europeans don't eat big breakfasts, but on Christmas they (well, my family at least) made an exception.

On our dining room table were plates filled with cinnamon rolls, pandoro **(5)**, blueberry pancakes, fruit, fresh juice, and Italian's native dish - pasta. There was also some rice for the local Asians.

After eating, we all crowded around the Christmas tree. The little kids had the job of passing out gifts to us. I smiled as my collection of stuffed animals, jewelry, CDs and money piled.

I leaned on Hikaru, who was sitting on the edge of the couch. Kaoru leaned on me and held me in a hug. I blushed slightly and smiled.

_Click._

I looked up to see my mom with a camera in her hands, "This will be the perfect New Year card!"

I glared at my mother as Bambi ran into the room. She tugged on Kaoru's arm, **"Play with us Kaoru!" **

Bambi, Rosetta, and Trey all got the game _Twister_ for Christmas. The mat was all set out and Rosetta was sitting on the side of the mat with the spinner. Pia had a bemused expression on her face, but we all knew she wasn't going to play. Angie was sitting on the mat, spread out.

"**Angie! Get off the mat! We're gonna make the big kids play!"**

Angie looked at Bambi who was now tugging on her arm. She scrunched up her face, **"But I wanna play!"**

"**You'll get to play later!"**

"**I wanna play now!"**

"**It's my game!"**

"**So!"**

"**So, we're gonna make them fall in love."**

Angie turned to look at us. Kaoru and Hikaru with blank faces, me with a red one. She stuck out her tongue and stomped away to her new Barbie doll.

Bambi pointed at me, **"Translate. Kaoru, right arm red…"**

**[7 minutes later]**

A word of friendly advice. Don't let your younger cousins dictate a game of Twister. Ever. Just…don't.

Not only was I twisted in ways the human body should never twist, I was sandwiched between the twins (then again, when am I not?). Pia had an eyebrow raised and I could tell that she was suppressing a laugh. Bambi and Rosetta were giggling. Trey was playing videogames.

And the twins?

Having the time of their lives.

"Raine-chan! We should play this more often!" Hikaru said, resting his head on my neck.

Kaoru flipped over so he was facing me, "Yeah! Maybe we should get Tono to buy a bunch of these games and we can play in the Host Club!"

I smiled weakly as Bambi called my next move. I lifted my right arm but my weight finally gave out and I landed on Kaoru's chest.

Kaoru grinned. Hikaru rolled off my back and I lifted myself. Kaoru smiled and gave me a quick kiss before I got up all the way. I blushed and looked away.

"What was that for?"

Kaoru looked up, and I followed. Bambi was hovering over us, a piece of mistletoe in hand.

"Merry Christmas Raine."

**(1): fidanzato - boyfriend in Italian…I hope…I used a translator XD**

**(2): Perché è lei piangere? = Why is she crying?**

**(3): Perché non vi bacio Kaoru? Voi amate lui più giusto? = Why aren't you kissing Kaoru? You love him most right?**

**(4): I non lo so. = I don't know…**

**(5): Pandoro is basically a sweet bread (it's a type of cake). Usually it's served as a dessert, but I figured since I eat dessert for breakfast on X-Mas, Raine's family should too ^_^**

**A/N: YAY! Christmas is over! XD Next chapter they'll all be back in Japan :D**


	19. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 13**

"Ahh! Honey-senpai, please accept this cake I made for you!"

"Kyoya-Kun, will you please accept this gift?"

"Tamaki-Kun, will you be my valentine?"

In case it wasn't already obvious, it's Valentine's Day.

Or, I suppose I should be more specific. It's Valentine's Morning. And already, all seven hosts in the Host Club were drowning in Valentines made by their customers. And a few that WEREN'T made by their customers.

Hikaru and Kaoru were already having trouble balancing the pile of cards, sweets, toys, and other assorted Valentine's Day merchandise. I grinned and took some of the gifts into my hands.

"Eh…Raine, you don't have to take them." Hikaru said.

I shrugged, "You guys are about to have death by sweetness. I really don't want you to die before tonight, you know?"

Tonight was the Valentine's Day dance hosted by, who else, but the host club.

Technically, I wasn't going as anyone's date, but I'd be there as the honorary hostess (which basically entitles me to hang out with Hikaru and Kaoru all night).

Speaking of the dance, Tamaki had asked Haruhi to go. She turned him down. But, I can see her perspective. She is a guy at this school.

Still, seeing Tamaki so rejected hurt me a little, so I asked Haruhi if she would mind dressing up like a girl for part of the night. She (eagerly mind you) agreed. We were going to surprise Tamaki. I have my fingers crossed for that poor boy, Kami knows he needs it.

Kaoru chuckled, "Ok, you win, just don't get crushed by sweetness yourself."

Before I could ask what he meant, I saw my desk, loaded with sweets and cards. Feeling a blush come to my cheeks, I looked away, "Who…"

Hikaru narrowed his eyes. "Kaoru?"

"Wasn't me."

I walked to my desk and picked up a few cards. I blushed. Hikaru growled lightly and took his seat in the back, avoiding my gaze. My smile faltered.

"Hikaru's just being a baby…don't worry about it." Kaoru said with a smile. He nudged my shoulder slightly and then took his own seat.

I moved the gifts off my desk, my happy glow fading a bit. I glanced over at Hikaru, who was absentmindedly licking a lollipop. Kaoru was whispering to him. I frowned and turned my attention to the front of the room, where Sensei was desperately trying to get the class's attention for the math lesson today.

"This is going to be a long day…"

.. .. ..

"Rae-chan!"

"Hello Honey-Senpai, how has your Valentine's Day been?"

Honey, who's face I couldn't even see, was balancing a stack of boxes (likely filled with cake). I could almost feel the smile that stretched across his face as he said, "It's been great Rae-Chan!"

I turned to Mori, "And you Mori-Senpai?"

A flicker of a smile crossed his face, which I'm sure was about all I was going to get from him.

The rest of the hosts were absentmindedly eating candy and talking about their days. Kyoya was writing in his notebook, and I swore I saw dollar signs in his eyes.

In other words…everything was normal.

Except for Hikaru.

Who was still bitter about this morning.

"He'll be fine by tonight. You know Hikaru…his jealousy takes over the rest of his emotions."

Kaoru's words were reassuring, but it didn't make me feel any better. If anything, it made me feel worse, since there was nothing I could do to make him feel better. Although, it seemed that we were falling into a pattern. I'd do something, he'd get mad, I'd get mad, we apologize, and the cycle starts over. I was getting tired of it.

So…I was going to try making amends.

"Hey Hika-kun."

Hikaru looked at me suspiciously, "Since when do you call me Hika-kun?"

"I could call you Neko-chan if you'd like." **(1)**

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "Really, that's all you came here for?"

I sighed, "No."

He smirked slightly, "What is it?"

"I'm sorry."

The smirk slid off his face, "What for?"

"Well…the whole Valentine's thing…I mean…I didn't want to accept them, but it's rude to return them you know…and, well…you seemed upset. I didn't want this to hinder our relationship. So…I'm apologizing."

Hikaru sat still for a few minutes before turning towards me, "You…didn't…need to apologize. I…"

"It just felt like the right thing to do."

Hikaru continued to just stare at me. "Ok…"

I kissed him lightly, "See you tonight!"

.. .. ..

I looked at myself in the full length mirror, feeling a slight sense of déjà vu. Except this time my dress was pink **(2) **and my hair was twisted into an updo **(3).**

"You ready?" My aunt called.

I stepped outside of my bedroom, grinning ear to ear. Auntie smiled at me and took out a camera. This time I was prepared and I smiled sweetly, tilting my head slightly.

"You have fun tonight, alright."

I nodded, "Of course."

.. .. ..

I walked to Kaoru, who was currently with one of his customers. I tapped his shoulder, "May I have this next dance?"

He nodded and bowed to the other girl, kissing her hand before sending her off. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he wrapped his around my waist. A slow song marked our pace.

"We could waltz you know." Kaoru said.

I rested my head on his shoulder, "I like swaying."

As we danced, my thoughts wandered. Swaying with Kaoru was nice. He made me feel very warm and safe. I smiled.

"Raine…"

"Hmm?"

"I…"

I could feel his heart beating wildly. I pulled back and looked at him with wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I…" He looked away and his face started heating up.

"Kaoru what-"

"I love you!" He blurted.

I felt my face warm. A million thoughts raced through my head. _Kaoru loves me? Do I love him? I do, but do I love him AND Hikaru? Why is this so nerve racking? Why aren't I saying anything! What SHOULD I say? Say it back? CAN I say it back?_

"I…" I wanted to say it back. "I…"

But I couldn't.

It didn't feel right, since I was "in like" with both Kaoru and Hikaru. I couldn't say 'I love you too' and completely mean it.

"I…I'm sorry…"

Kaoru looked down at his feet, "I…understand. That was…very Hikaru-like of me, wasn't it?"

I nodded, "I-"

Kaoru quickly kissed me and said, "You don't have to say it back yet. I just…wanted to you know."

The song came to an end as he bowed and walked away quietly.

I sat down in a chair by a table nearby.

_I think…I'm really going to have to decide soon._

**(1): Neko - cat**

**(2): Valentine's Dress: http:// www . Jogjalifestyle . com/2009/08/21/light-pink-cinderella-prom-dress-2009-styles-with-jacket-and-shawl/new-pink-prom-dress-1/**

**(3): Raine's hair: http:// purehairstyle . **

**A/N: I completely and totally understand if you don't like this chapter. Because I hate it. I HATE it! Everyone seems OOC, it's way too short, and it's so…BLAH! T_T but it's important for later stuff.**

**And I re-read my previous chapters (ok, I skimmed) and I'm pretty sure they never did say "I love you" to each other. And if they did…ignore it! XD. **

**And…review??**

**Oh! And one more thing...be ready for lots of anguish and drama and tense chapters...with fun bonus chapters thrown in to make sure you don't kill yourself from all the emotional heart to heart stuff that's coming up XD. Heh...just wanted you guys to be prepared.**


	20. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 14**

**[KPOV]**

I was trembling from the adrenaline rush. We had just dropped Raine off at her house, but she left without so much as a "Goodbye."

I'm sure I scared her away with my confession.

"Is she mad at me?" Hikaru asked.

His voice startled me. We were half way home and neither of us had spoken. I looked at him in surprise, "Why would she be mad at you?"

Hikaru scratched the back of his head and glanced out the window. "I don't know…for earlier today maybe…when I was overreacting. Did she say anything about me at all during the dance?"

_No…but I bet she was thinking about you._ "No. She didn't say anything about being angry. Come on Hikaru, I think you're just overreacting. She's probably just really tired. Dono made her dance all night, remember."

Hikaru chuckled. "Yeah, after he got turned down by Haruhi again and again he refused to let Raine dance with anyone except himself."

The limo pulled up to our house. Hikaru and I stepped out and thanked the driver before we went upstairs to our room.

I collapsed onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Hikaru was pulling on his pajama bottoms. I could see him glance over at me. "Is…something wrong Kaoru?"

I sat up and stared at my brother, who now wore a look of confusion on his face. He came and sat down next to me. I avoided his gaze because I knew that if I looked into his eyes, everything would spill out of me. I could never keep secrets from Hikaru. Never.

"Kaoru?"

But damn…his voice was sincerely worried. I gulped and cast my vision down even further. "It's nothing Hikaru."

"Don't lie to me Kaoru. What is it?"

I rolled over onto my side, my back facing Hikaru. "Tonight…I…told Raine that…I told her that I loved her."

There was a long pause. I silently cursed at myself. I didn't want to tell Hikaru. I knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it. And I really just wanted the confession to be between me and her.

"What…did she say?"

Hikaru sounded broken. Shattered.

I didn't blame him. If Raine had said she loved me back then there would be no chance for him.

"She couldn't say it back." I whispered.

There was another long pause.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I turned over to face my brother. "Tell you what?"

Hikaru's face darkened. "Why didn't you ever tell me that you loved her?"

I chewed on my lower lip, trying to come up with an answer. Although Hikaru never told me himself, I already knew that he loved her…the way that I did now. The way that Tamaki loved Haruhi. It went unspoken, but I'm sure he knew I knew.

But I never said a word.

"Sorry Hikaru…" I whispered.

"Sorry! What else have you been keeping from me Kaoru!"

"Hikaru-"

"You can't possibly understand how much I've wanted to say those three words to her! But I couldn't! And you know why Kaoru! Because I think about you! And I know she thinks about you too! And…and I…"

I stared wide eyed at my brother, who was now shaking. I reached my hand out to comfort him, but he pushed it away.

"Kaoru…do you even know her?"

"Hikaru-"

"Do you know her!"

I didn't understand why Hikaru was shouting at me. I didn't think he would take the news lightly, but I didn't think he would start yelling.

"Kaoru, she was nearly burnt to death as a child! That's why she hates fires and it's why she's always so scared of purple eyes!"

"When did she-"

"But you never knew that about her! You don't know her at all! You don't know anything about her life or why she's here or anything!"

"Hikaru-"

"Kaoru, I HATE you!"

Hikaru stormed out of our room and slammed the door. His words felt like a slap in the face.

_Kaoru, I HATE you!_

We'd fought before, but Hikaru's never said that to me.

What have I done?

**[HPOV]**

I was acting childish and irrational, but I was too mad to care.

I couldn't believe Kaoru would confess…love so early to her. At least…confessing without telling me first.

I felt angry because I was waiting for him to tell me that he loved her so we'd be on equal grounds. It was something he would've done for me if our roles were reversed.

Yet here he was, confessing love and he didn't even know her secret.

But I did.

And right now, I was about to give my own confession.

**[RPOV]**

"_I love you."_

I couldn't get it out of my head.

"_I love you."_

Why did you tell me that Kaoru?

"_I love you."_

Why couldn't I say it back?

That was a stupid question. Of course I couldn't say it back. If I said I love you to Kaoru, that would hurt Hikaru.

But that made me wonder…what if I was only Kaoru's girlfriend. Or only Hikaru's girlfriend.

Would I be able to say it back then?

I glanced out my window. The sky was dark, and the moon was full. It was late, but I couldn't get to sleep. It seemed that whenever I closed my eyes, all I could see was Kaoru confessing to me…again and again.

I rolled over to my side. "Things could be worse." I told myself. "Things could definitely be worse."

_Ping._

My heart skipped a beat. I looked frantically around the room. Nothing.

_Ping._

My head snapped to the window. My cheeks started heating up. I had heard about this sort of thing happening in movies. In books. In fan fiction…but never in real life.

_Ping. Ping._

And was it Hikaru or Kaoru outside my window. Maybe if I was lucky it'd be someone who made a mistake.

Maybe.

I tiptoed to the window and opened it. I glanced down to see Hikaru (wearing only pajama bottoms I couldn't help but think) on the ground, holding a fistful of rocks. "Raine!"

I put my finger to my lips. "One second." I called as quietly as I could.

I closed the window and hurried downstairs, trying to keep quiet enough to not wake Auntie and Uncle.

And while I was rushing down the stairs, I couldn't help but think that Hikaru was being very romantic. It seemed that in the past few hours, him and Kaoru had changed places.

How strange.

When I opened the front door, Hikaru was already waiting. He smiled at me, "Hello."

"Hello Hika-" I never got to finish. Hikaru pulled me in a tight hug. I blushed deeply, but hugged him back. "What are you doing here?"

"I…came to tell you something."

I could hear nervousness in his voice. I pulled back slightly. "What is it?"

"Raine…I…" He stopped, took a deep breath, and blurted, "I love you."

"_I love you."_

**[HPOV]**

I could barely hear the crickets chirping over my heart beat. I was waiting nervously for her reaction, but Raine was just staring at me. Her mouth opened, then closed. Then opened. But no sound came out.

"Do you love me Raine?"

She looked conflicted. I knew why, and felt guilty about it, but I had to know.

"Raine-"

"I'm sorry. I like you…very much…but I can't love both you and Kaoru…it wouldn't be fair."

"Stop thinking about Kaoru! Think about yourself!"

Raine jumped back, startled. I gritted my teeth. She looked down, her violet eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry…"

I stood there like an idiot. "Kaoru told you already. I know. I just…I wanted…"

Raine's small hands rubbed my shoulders. "Maybe someday."

Maybe.

**[RPOV]**

I watched Hikaru run off down the road to his house. I walked slowly back inside and up to my room. I was about to climb into bed when I saw that my phone was lit up.

_10 missed calls._

12:32 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

12:34 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

12:39 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

12:45 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

12:46 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

12:49 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

12:52 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

12:55 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

12:59 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

1:03 am - Kaoru Hitachiin

_6 New Text Messages_

Raine - I need to talk to you! -K

Raine, I really need to talk to you. -K

Raine! Where are you! Hikaru's there, I know he is. Pick up your phone. -K

Why didn't you tell me! -K

Raine! Call me! -K

Raine, are you avoiding me? -K

_1 New Voice Mail_

"Raine, it's Kaoru. Hikaru told me what happened. I'm coming over tomorrow. Bye."

**A/N: What? I'm updating! I must be crazy. **

**I hope the fight made sense. It made sense to me…O_o**

**Review?**


	21. Author Note

**ATTENTION READERS!**

Well...I haven't updated this in...months XD. But the good news is that it's now SUMMER! :D

But...upon re-reading this...I found how much I really, really hate it XD. And I think Raine is a Mary Sue. Which bothers me...greatly.

So, I am going back and either revising or deleting the story. :/

Sorry to all the subbers who thought this was an update (sweatdrop)

~Cookie~


	22. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**So…I have decided to continue this until it's finished, then I'll rewrite it. If/When I have time :D**

**Chapter 15**

**[RPOV]**

I sat on my bed, curled up into a ball.

I listened to Kaoru's message over and over again.

"Raine, it's Kaoru. Hikaru told me what happened. I'm coming over tomorrow. Bye."

Hikaru told him what? That he was coming over? That he loved me? What!

I felt stressed and alone. For the first time since I've come to Japan, I've really just wanted to go home and have my mom stroke my hair. I wanted my dad to speak in Italian and make me pasta and gelato. I wanted to go back to a life where I blended in and was left alone.

I sighed.

.. .. ..

I waited in my room until Kaoru came over.

Auntie tried to coax me out, promising me a western styled breakfast and a trip to the mall, but none of her bribes worked. I sat on my bed and stared at the door in front of me, waiting.

.. .. ..

There was a soft rapping on my door before it swung open. Kaoru was standing in my doorway, staring me down. He looked angry. I glanced at the floor. He never looks angry.

"Would…you like to sit down?"

"What I'd like is some answers!"

I met my eyes with his. He looked like he was in despair. He looked crushed. And angry. But over what?

"Kaoru, I don't-"

"Why didn't you tell _me_ about your past?"

My blood ran cold. _That's_ what Hikaru told him! The one thing I counted on him keeping a secret and he TOLD him!

It seemed I had forgotten to speak as I just continued to stare at Kaoru numbly. I wanted to say something, anything, but I couldn't form the words in my mouth. Everything I thought of made me sound like a child, like a victim, like a traitor. So, I sat there and said kept quiet.

The clock by my bedside ticked and tocked and the tension between us built. I swallowed, but my mouth was dry. I gripped onto a blanket by my side.

"Is it because you trust him and not me?"

My grip tightened. A shaky, "No" was all I could muster.

"Do you love him more than me?"

"No!"

"Then what is it!"

Tears began falling down my face. "I…I didn't…I didn't know how to tell you!" I buried my face in my hands, "I'm so sorr-"

"Please don't cry."

Kaoru was sitting next to me on the bed, his arms wrapped around me. I let a few more tears fall.

"Raine, I'm sorry. I don't know…I…" His grip became tighter. "I'm sorry for acting this way. But when you told Hikaru…I just…became jealous. I hate myself for being so childish. I just…don't want to lose you."

I'm not sure what came over me but the words came out of my mouth in a small whisper before I could stop them.

"I…love you, Kaoru."

**A/N: It's so short T_T but…yeah…ok…I'm writing the next chapter now…oh, and sorry if Kaoru seems OOC. I just finished watching the English dub of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (aka The Wallflower, aka Perfect Girl Evolution) and Greg Ayres voices the character of Yuki. So…I keep typing things for Kaoru and hearing them in Yuki's voice =_= and it makes getting them into character difficult.**


	23. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.**

**Chapter 16**

**[KPOV]**

It was barely a whisper, so I don't think she thought I'd hear it. But I did. And let me be the first to tell you that there is no better feeling than hearing those three beautiful words. So, I held her closer to me and rested my face into her hair. "I love you too Raine."

Raine shook in my arms and pushed on me slightly. I pulled back slowly and looked at her face. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She looked up at me and then down and her hands. "I-"

I placed a hand on her cheek and smiled sadly. "Hikaru is what you're worried about isn't it?" I could see her swallow. I pulled my hand away from her face. "Then…do you take it back?"

She was quiet so I got up and went for the door.

"Wait!" she followed me and wrapped her arms around my waist tightly. "I'd…never take it back."

I removed her hands from my waist and turned around. I bent down to give her a quick kiss. "I love you too." I said again.

And then I left.

**NEXT DAY**

**[RPOV]**

I took my seat in class dejectedly. After Kaoru left the day before I felt smothered with both butterflies and guilt. I glanced over my shoulder. Hikaru was talking to Haruhi and Kaoru was looking out the window, a small, yet obvious, smile was displayed on his face. I glanced back at Hikaru, who noticed I was looking back and gave me a small nod of the head.

_He. Knows. Why wouldn't he know? Kaoru tells him everything! And if he didn't, they're twins…they'd know everything about each other. Right! Right!_

I waved slightly and turned back around. This was going to be a long day. Our sensei walked to the front of the room and began class. "Good morning."

"Ohayo **(1) **sensei!"

"To start, I'd like you to get in pairs."

Damn. I knew this day was going to be long.

**TEN MINUTES LATER**

As it was, Haruhi came to my rescue. We were now sitting on the complete opposite end of the classroom. I'm pretty sure she noticed.

"Why are you avoiding the twins?"

"Oh…so…you noticed?"

Haruhi just looked at me, so I figured it must have been obvious what I was doing. I sighed and looked down at the floor. I knew what was coming. She was going to ask…

"What happened?"

There was a long pause. I didn't want to tell her, but I knew I had to tell someone. "I told Kaoru that I loved him."

"Well, don't you?"

The way she asked that question made it seem so much less complicated than it felt. And it made me feel even worse.

"Yeah, but I like Hikaru too and I think he's mad that I didn't tell him I love you first."

We looked over at Hikaru and Kaoru, who were absorbed in their project. Hikaru was laughing and talking with the people around him.

"It doesn't look like he knows."

I frowned. That must mean Kaoru never said anything. I studied Hikaru's expressions. Smiling. Laughing. Working hard. But still…my frown hardened. I looked away from Hikaru and started working on several problems. "Haruhi, what does this say?"

"It's in English Raine."

Everything was blurry to me. I swallowed. "Silly me, I must've gotten used to the Japanese language I can't tell anymore."

Haruhi patted my head lightly. "Do you want to go to the nurse?"

I put my head down, letting my hair fall into my face. I felt tears coming to my eyes. "Yes…"

**[TPOV]**

Another beautiful morning! It was probably wrong of me to want to skip the first part of the day, but even though it was February, the sakura blossoms were budding and were calling for someone to watch them. And they always allowed me to think.

I wondered to myself if Haruhi liked the blossoms as much as I did. I would have to ask the next time I saw her. If she did I would definitely send some to her everyday, so that she could think of me.

I smiled while thinking about her. We really haven't been alone together since Christmas and even though I saw her everyday, I missed her.

My thoughts turned to Raine and her phone call that day. About everyone leaving us on purpose. And all the hints she had given me throughout the school year. Everything seemed to fall into place. And I finally understood what she knew all along.

Now, if only my beautiful onee-chan could understand her own love life!

"_Even though I might not be able to, someday somewhere, someone's going to come along who can tell you two apart. But I know this much for sure, if you guys keep living in your own little world like you do now, chances are you're never going to meet that person."_

I smiled to myself. Hikaru and Kaoru have grown up a lot since I first met them. And they've all learned to open up a lot more too.

I looked at my watch. I had wasted almost a half hour outside. I sighed and decided to return to my classroom.

**[HaPOV]**

"She'll be ok. She's just tired. I think if she sleeps in here for a few hours she'll be alright to go back to class at the end of the day."

I sighed in relief and looked down at the girl lying in bed. I frowned. She had tear streaks on her face. She must've been feeling really guilty. "Get better soon Raine."

"Fujioka-san, your girlfriend is in good care. You really should get back to class."

I didn't bother correcting the nurse as I left the hospital wing. I just sighed to myself and told myself to take Raine's notes for her.

"Haruhi! Are you ok! Why are you coming out of the nurse's office! Did something happen?" Tamaki started feeling my forehead.

Feeling disgruntled, I backed away and continued walking, "No, Tamaki-senpai. I'm in perfect health."

"But then why were you-"

"Raine…started crying in the middle of class."

There was a long pause and the only sound that was made was by the clicking of our shoes. Tamaki stopped walking. I stopped as well. "What…happened?"

"I don't know the whole story senpai, and even if I did it's not my story to tell."

"But Haruhi! Raine is my precious nee-chan! You can't expect me to not want to know!"

I sighed and started walking again. "All I know is that it involves Hikaru."

"He made her cry again!"

I didn't answer. I kept my head down and kept walking through the corridors. Tamaki seemed keen on finding out what happened, so he followed me to my classroom.

"Senpai, I have to go now. And isn't class 2-A on the other side of the school?" He seemed to freeze, so I took it as a yes and opened the door.

"Uh…Haruhi?"

Sighing in irritation, I turned back, "What now?"

"I know it's not the right timing but…do you like sakura blossoms?"

"…yes."

And then I slammed the door shut to class 1-A.

**[RPOV]**

It was those eyes. Nobody, save for myself and Kaoru, would even notice the difference. But Hikaru's eyes. They were threatening to cry, like mine have been, even in my dreams.

"It's glad to see you're awake." The nurse was kind and let me stay longer than was probably necessary. "Your friend Haruhi was in here for awhile."

I smiled. "Yeah. I thought so."

"So, sweetie, what caused the lack of sleep?" The nurse looked thoroughly interested and I doubted a lot of students came in here. She was probably looking for a good story.

"Just thinking a lot. About…you know, girl stuff."

"Boys?"

I blushed. It was unintentional, since I don't want to broadcast my love life to complete strangers. But still…the thought of her knowing I was even seeing someone was embarrassing. "Um…"

"That Fujioka boy seems like he'd be your type."

"Actually, sh…he's just a good friend of mine. I already have a boyfriend." Two, to be precise. But that's too many details for the school nurse.

"Hmm…well you're a pretty girl, it wouldn't surprise me. So, who's the lucky guy?"

"I…uh…I'm rather shy and we're trying to keep our relationship a secret." Well, I don't think it's so much as I'm shy as much as I don't want to be killed.

The nurse studied me for a moment. Then she sighed and said, "Just…whoever it is…don't break his heart, alright?"

…_is it that obvious?_

**SOME TIME LATER**

I went back to class and caught the last half hour. I decided not to go to the Host Club that afternoon. Instead, I just wanted to go home and sleep off my worries.

I got up to leave when I felt a hand pulling on my arm.

"Hikaru," I said without turning around, "what is it?"

I could tell he was surprised I knew who his was, but his grip tightened. "We…really need to talk."

"…I know."

The few students left in the room, which included Haruhi and Kaoru, started to murmur. I felt their stares and started feeling uncomfortable. I gently pulled my arm away from Hikaru's. "Outside. Meet me in ten minutes, after everyone's gone home."

And then the room was empty.

**OUTSIDE - TEN MINUTES LATER**

Hikaru and I sat on a bench outside. I shivered a bit; although I didn't know if it was from the cold weather or from my anxious wondering. I wanted to know what he was going to say to me. Was he backing off? Was he confessing again?

"You told Kaoru you loved him. Don't try to deny it. He already told me."

"I did."

There was a long pause. I could tell that this conversation was going to be long and awkward. Hikaru looked at the ground, "Do…you love him…more than me?" He looked at me expectantly.

"I don't know how to answer that. Love isn't something that can be measured."

There was another long pause. I thought he was going to leave when he surprised me by saying, "This is why we put up barriers Raine. This is why…for so long it was only me and him. So that this wouldn't happen."

"You don't put up barriers to keep people out, you build them to see who cares enough to tear them down."

"Do you care?"

I turned to him. "Of course I care! If I didn't care, I wouldn't have bothered to learn how to tell you apart! I wouldn't have stuck with you for so long. I…wouldn't…I wouldn't…"

We sat there for what felt like an eternity before Hikaru sighed. "So then…I should say this again." He turned to me, leaned forward and kissed me. He pulled back, "I love you."

"_Do you love me Raine?"_

"_I'm sorry. I like you…very much…but I can't love both you and Kaoru…it wouldn't be fair."_

"_Stop thinking about Kaoru! Think about yourself!"_

"_I'm sorry…"_

"_Kaoru told you already. I know. I just…I wanted…"_

"_Maybe someday."_

"I love you too Hikaru. But…I just…"

He wrapped his arms around me, "I know…but I still have a chance."

**(1): Ohayo is 'good morning' in Japanese. You'd probably have a more formal way for a teacher but I don't know what that is O.o**

**A/N: My sister drew pictures! Well…a picture. Of Raine plus twins. It looks awesome. There's a link in my profile but if you're too lazy to go there, just go to deviantart and type in the title of this story and then click on the month button. It'll be the picture by tuneout34. Also - I'm totally not rejecting any ideas if you guys want to create some awesome art for me…eh? Eh?**

**Ok…bonus chapter is coming up next because I feel like writing fluff. There's too much tension! O_O**


	24. Chapter 17 Part 1

************

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.

Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)

Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.

Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.

**Chapter 17 (part 1)**

**[RPOV]**

_What the…where am I?_ I cracked an eye open. I was able to tell that I was inside a limo. I glanced out the window. _Welcome to Kuruizawa…the hell?_

"It seems our princess has waken Kaoru."

I sat up, only to be greeted with a kiss on each of my cheeks. I felt my face flush. I looked over at Hikaru and then at Kaoru. I smiled to myself and glanced down at my shoes. I couldn't believe they still made me feel like a little school girl.

But there were more important matters. Like, how I got here in the first place. I sat back and thought back to that morning.

**_(FLASHBACK)_**

_**What a crime, such a beautiful crime, that God would make a star as bright as I…**_

_I shifted uncomfortably in my bed. It was the third day into our break, and he was already making phone calls. I groaned and turned over, hoping that he would realize I was sleeping._

_**What a crime, such a breath taking crime, everything I touch can't help but fall in love…**_

_My phone went silent. I sighed in relief and wrapped the covers around myself tighter._

_**What a crime, such a beautiful crime, that God would make- (1)**_

"_Stupid king."_

_I grabbed my cell phone off my dresser and flipped it open, "Wha-"_

"_HARUHI IS MISSING! CALL THE POLICE! THE SWAT TEAM! THE FBI!"_

"_Isn't the FBI American?" I heard a voice ask._

"_MOMMY! This isn't the time for technicalities! WE HAVE TO FIND HARUHI!"_

_I groaned. I knew where Haruhi was, she had told me a few days ago. I knew she was looking forward to having a vacation all to herself. I wasn't about to ruin that for her, but still…_

"_Listen Tamaki, I'm sure she's-"_

"_BEEN KIDNAPPED! RAINE! HARUHI WAS KIDNAPPED!"_

"_While I hate to break this to you, Haruhi is actually in Kuruizawa." Kyoya answered. I groaned. I could already see where this was going._

"_Haruhi's been kidnapped…and taken to Kuruizawa?"_

_There was a long silence before I heard Kyoya's voice. "Moron."_

_My thoughts exactly. "See Tamaki, there's nothing to worry ab-"_

"_WE MUST VISIT!"_

_Ugh. I hung up the phone. "Sorry Haruhi…" I mumbled to myself. _

**_(END FLASHBACK!)_**

And now…I'm here. I had a feeling Auntie let the twins in and let them take me here. Great…

I sighed, figuring I should enjoy the uncharacteristically quietness of the trip. Hikaru was holding my hand, stroking his thumb over mine. Kaoru was absentmindedly running a hand through my hair. I smiled to myself, knowing that the quiet was definitely not going to last very long.

We eventually reached a small bed and breakfast in the middle of Kuruizawa. I glanced at the sign, "Misuzu's…this is the place…"

We all stepped out of the limo when I heard a strange noise. I looked up and suddenly wished I hadn't. "He didn't…"

"HARUHI! I WILL SAVE YOU!" Tamaki was speaking though a megaphone from a helicopter. Yes, a helicopter.

I dropped my head. "He…did. Sorry Haruhi…"

**A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME LATER**

We met Misuzu, who was delighted to meet the rest of the Host Club (and, I guess me too, but he was especially happy to see six handsome boys…I understand his reasoning…I guess), and we were all sitting around a table, talking about our plans for the break.

"Rae-chan, are you going back home?" Honey asked, nibbling on a cookie (Misuzu had run out of cake).

"Eh, well, not for this short break. When summer comes around, I'll probably head back mid June and then come back before school starts."

"Aww, you're leaving for the whole summer?"

"I'm sure you two can find _something _to entertain you for a few months." I said, sipping a lemonade, "Anyways, Haruhi, sorry again for this."

She only glanced around at the host club and sighed, "It isn't your fault. I'm sure they would've found me at some point or another." She paused, "By the way, where are you guys staying? We don't exactly have a lot of room here."

There were several grins among the boys at the host club, which made me instantly nervous. Haruhi put her head in her hands, mumbling something incoherent. I pat her on the back. "Hey, don't _all_ of you have vacation houses nearby?"

The boys stared at me. Evidently, it didn't matter that they had vacationing houses nearby, they wanted to stay here.

"Now wait a minute!" Haruhi exclaimed, "Raine doesn't have that luxury. She'll stay here, and the rest of you can go to your own places!"

"But we want Raine-chan to stay with us!"

How long were we even going to be here? Not that it mattered. I loved Hikaru and Kaoru to pieces, but I don't know if my sanity would be able to live with them for more than a day or two.

Haruhi crossed her arms. She obviously meant business. Or she had something important to tell me later. I chuckled a bit at the timid reactions she received from the other members. They agreed (however, the twins and Tamaki agreed begrudgingly…for different reasons I assume).

Just as it was nearing four in the afternoon, there was a soft knock on the backdoor of the bed and breakfast. Haruhi hurried to answer it, explaining that it was probably a delivery.

When she opened the door, there stood a brunette clad in red. I glanced over curiously. "Ha…Haruhi…Fujioka?"

"H…hey Arai."

Uh oh.

**10 MINUTES LATER**

"So, you're really Haruhi's friend from middle school?" Tamaki asked.

We were all gathered around the table, this time with an added edition.

Arai nodded. "I didn't really expect to run into her here though." He looked over at Haruhi and smiled a bit, looking embarrassed.

"So…what was she like?"

Arai started telling stories about Haruhi in middle school. She hadn't changed much. But something about his expression unnerved me. It was that embarrassed look he kept getting. I had a feeling that he liked her, and that crush was coming back, just a little bit. I glanced at Tamaki, who, as usual, didn't notice anything.

Idiot.

Hikaru nudged me with his foot. In a soft whisper he asked, "Are you really going to let him get away with flirting with her?"

I shushed him. Haruhi didn't seem to be picking up on his rosy cheeks either. I didn't think intervening would do any good. As long as things were running smoothly, there was no reason to.

"Raine, just look at him! He's trying to flirt with her!"

I shushed him again. "Look Hikaru, nothing's going on. Just calm down."

"But he so obviously LIKES HER!"

Well there goes not intervening. Kaoru shot me an apologetic look. I gave Arai a sheepish one, "Sorry Arai, he really doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut sometimes."

He just turned away, the blush on his face getting darker. "I-it's ok. Actually, I did have a thing for Haruhi once…"

There was a long pause as everyone just stared at him.

"B-b-but who cares? I mean, you already turned me down!"

"Huh?"

Arai quickly explained what happened in middle school. I glanced at Haruhi, who was still shocked. _She _**_really_**_ hasn't changed much._

Tamaki started asking for more stories while everyone else started finding other things to do. Hikaru was staring at me with a hardened face. _Yeah, do damage control, I know, I know!_

I walked up to Arai and Tamaki. "Uh, hey Arai, not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here at Misuzu's anyways?"

"Oh. I'm actually working for my dad. He owns a little market down the street. Misuzu's always been a great customer. I'm here to collect the list of groceries he needs me to get." He checked his watch, "Which I should actually be doing right about now. But, it was nice meeting everyone." **(2)**

We all waved goodbye. Hikaru gave me a small smile. Crisis averted. I turned around to talk to Haruhi when Hikaru and Kaoru called out, "Hey Raine-chan! While we're here we're definitely going out on a date!"

I waved my hand to show my agreement. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tamaki glancing at Haruhi nervously. Hmm…

**LATER**

**[3rd**** Person POV]**

Tamaki shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He glanced at his "onee-chan" and the twins of the club. He sighed in jealousy. The way they asked her on a date was so ungentlemanly, but they seemed to be happy with each other regardless.

Tamaki brought his knees up to his face. "If I asked Haruhi on a date, it would be much more romantic."

He looked at Haruhi as she was clearing tables and a small blush spread across his face. He liked it when Haruhi wore pink; not that he minded her in boys' clothes, but he really enjoyed the few times she looked like a girl. Tamaki looked around the room but didn't find anything that held his interest. So he sighed…again.

"I wish I could go on a date with Haruhi." he mumbled to himself.

Haruhi, who was just walking out with new dishes for the tables, stopped in her tracks, wondering if she had heard him correctly. She felt her cheeks heat up as she found her voice. "O-ok."

Tamaki turned around, startled. "Wh-wh-what?"

Haruhi glanced at her shoes, her face tinged pink. "I'll go on a date with you."

"Really?"

Haruhi nodded and continued to set up the tables. "Tomorrow?" she asked timidly.

Tamaki brushed his hair back and smiled, "Sure."

Both teens glanced at each other before blushing and returning to whatever they were doing before.

**Meanwhile…**

Kyoya watched the pair and smiled as he typed something into his PDA **(3), **"Well, this will prove to be an interesting turn of events."

**THAT EVENING (after everyone else had left)**

**[RPOV]**

Haruhi and I were sitting on the bed in my temporary room.

"So, he finally asked you out on a date, huh?" I asked, wagging my eyebrows playfully. It was about time the stupid king made a move. I had been waiting for this moment probably longer than Haruhi has.

She blushed at my question. "Asked really isn't how it went. He just said 'I wish to go on a date with Haruhi' and I agreed."

"Well, at least you're finally going on a date with him." I leaned so that I was hanging over the side of the bed. "Maybe it'll go really well and he'll kiss you."

There was no response, so I imagined she blushed. Smirking I sat up and looked at her, "So, what do you think it'd be like to kiss him. I'm sure you've thought about it." I teased.

Haruhi just sat there, and brought her knees up to her chest, a habit I had seen Tamaki do several times. She looked up at me, and in a whisper, said, "We've already kissed."

"What! And I missed it! When!"

"Christmas."

I smiled widely. "I knew it! I knew I gave him good advice!"

"What?"

"Ah…ha, ha…" I rubbed the back of my neck. "He called me that day. There was supposed to be a big party at your house, but everyone cancelled. He felt awkward about going by himself, so he called me for help. I told him to go and have a good time. Although…I honestly didn't think he'd have the guts to kiss you."

She blushed. "Yeah…well it wasn't a big kiss or anything."

"Come on! Details!"

She looked at me, shocked. "I…I'm not going to tell you something like that!"

"Come on!"

"No. Besides, you don't see me asking for details about you!"

"I could tell you about some of the kisses I've had." I thought for a minute. "There are actually lots of really weird stories." Haruhi only stared at me, her face slowly paling. "What? It's not my fault they like to experiment!"

That sent us into giggles.

"By the way, I see your relationship with them has improved a lot. You're not fighting all that much anymore."

I smiled. It was true. After all the confrontations and "I love yous" we had, we finally had a long conversation about everything. After we got passed the awkward part, it was surprisingly easy to spill my guts out.

_**(FLASHBACK)**_

_I sat on the edge of their bed, gripping the covers slightly. The atmosphere was tense, and none of us could break the silence. To me, it was deafening. The quiet was too much. I looked to my left and was met with Kaoru and then to my right to see Hikaru. I gripped the covers tighter and swallowed my pride. "I'm sorry."_

_There was a long pause. For a minute, I thought I said it in my head. But Kaoru cleared his throat and said, "Hikaru and I have been talking. And it's not you that should be sorry…it's us."_

_Hikaru nodded and continued, "We knew what we were getting into when we decided to start this…relationship." _

_Kaoru scooted closer to me and affectionately placed one of his hands on mine. Hikaru mirrored. "And we know we're putting a lot of pressure on you, which isn't fair."_

_My eyes started tearing up. "I haven't been fair either." I said. "I didn't tell you about my past Kaoru…even when I had the opportunity. And Hikaru…I told Kaoru that I loved him first, which wasn't fair to you. And…" I swallowed, "I just thought keeping secrets would make things okay. So…I'm sorry."_

_Hikaru drew circles on my hands. I had the feeling he was going to say something, so I waited. A few minutes passed before he said, "You told me love wasn't something that could be measured, right?" He didn't wait for my answer, "So…we just want to tell you…"_

"_We love you."_

_It was the most beautiful thing I ever heard. I smiled then and said, "I love you both too. Very, very much."_

_And then they promptly attacked me with kisses. _

_**(END FLASHBACK)**_

Haruhi smiled at me. "It's nice to see things work out for you."

I nodded. "I'm glad we're pass the drama for now. It's nice to be able to relax." I grinned, "So, Haruhi, where are you guys going tomorrow?"

She threw a pillow at my face. "Stop changing the subject." But she smiled, so I knew she wasn't mad.

In the end, we both ended up falling asleep in the same bed and woke up in some uncomfortable positions the next morning.

**A/N: Yeah, I said I'd make a bonus chapter, but none of them were working for me so…meh. And this is part 1. Ch. 17 part 2 will be put up…I dunno. Tomorrow I'm guessing. It depends. It's all about their date and stuff. ^^**

**BTW - Since I'm going by American school schedule, this is around March/April (spring break). Next chapter (after pt. 2) will be May (graduation) then June (ie. LAST CHAPTER!) So…yeah, I'm looking at 3-4 more chapters before I end this (and start something new). Just giving you guys a heads up.**

**(1): First person to tell me the name of this song (plus it's artist) gets a special request one-shot (and although I can't tell if you cheat, please try to refrain from googling the lyrics or youtubing it -_- this is a relatively easy song to guess…)**

**(2): Yep…that whole scene was pretty much pointless…ah well. **

**(3): First person to tell me why he has a PDA and not his notebook gets their own special request one shot.**


	25. Chapter 17 Part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Chapter 17 (part 2) **

**[RPOV]**

"You're wearing that?"

Haruhi looked at herself in the mirror. She chose to wear a baggy t-shirt and jeans to her date. A date! In fact, she looked more like a guy than she usually does.

"What's wrong with it?"

I sighed. "Haruhi, you're going on a date. And on a date, you're supposed to look nice and present yourself like a girl." She stared at me blankly, and I had a feeling that the information wasn't getting through her head. "That's why I took the liberty of picking out a dress for you!" I pulled out a dress from my suitcase and held it out to her.

She sighed, but took the dress. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't think Tamaki-senpai will really care what I'm wearing."

"Trust me, he will."

**20 MINUTES LATER**

Haruhi and I walked downstairs to be met with the host club. I smiled and pushed Haruhi towards Tamaki. "You're welcome."

The two just looked at each other and blushed. Tamaki coughed a little bit before saying, "So, uh, Haruhi…shall we go?"

Haruhi managed to nod a little. I grinned a bit at her embarrassment. It wasn't everyday I saw her face turn into a tomato. It was a photo worthy moment, seeing the two of them act so nervous around each other.

The two left, and I checked my watch. "Well, it's been five minutes. Let's go."

I started walking out the door, when I felt two pairs of hands grab me. "Go where?"

I turned to see Hikaru and Kaoru with confused looks on their faces. Honey looked at me curiously, and even Mori and Kyoya looked slightly interested. I chuckled. "You didn't expect that I'd let them go on this date and NOT follow? Come on now, it's the chance of a lifetime to see what they're like when no one's watching."

**10 MINUTES AND 1 MILE LATER**

I was hiding in a shrub, watching Tamaki lead Haruhi through the shops at Kuruizawa. I knew that he had no idea where he was going (he wasn't used to open markets), but Haruhi seemed to be having fun showing him around. They stopped at nearly every shop, looking at the different items being sold.

"Take her hand." I whispered to myself, hoping Tamaki would somehow hear me. Right now, he and Haruhi were looking at wooden instruments. "Take the hand." I said again. "Come on, you aren't stupid!"

"Raine, he won't take her hand." Hikaru said simply.

"Hikaru's right. Milord might put on a good act at the club, but he's hopeless when it comes to Haruhi." Kaoru added.

I groaned. If they already kissed, holding hands couldn't be that hard for them. But they weren't even really looking at each other. It was awkward to even watch. _Maybe this was a mistake…_

**[TPOV]**

I glanced over at Haruhi, who was explaining how open air markets worked. I smiled at her. She was wearing a dress. She was…cute. So cute. I felt my cheeks heat slightly. I looked away.

"Take her hand…"

I looked around. It sounded like Raine's voice. But I didn't see Raine anywhere. Maybe I had gotten used to her forward personality and was starting to think like her. Yeah, that's it.

"Take the hand…"

I wanted to hold her hand. I cleared my throat a bit and reached casually.

…

She walked away.

I sighed. I would have to try again. And hopefully she wouldn't reject it.

**[HaPOV]**

"Tamaki-senpai! Over here, I think you'll enjoy this!" I waved him over.

Tamaki walked over, smiling. "What is it Haruhi?"

I thanked the man at the cashier and turned to Tamaki, "It's ice cream. Go on, take a lick." He leaned forward and licked the ice cream. I blushed slightly, as he straightened out and smiled.

"That was delicious! Haruhi, why didn't you tell me commoner's ice cream was so good! I'll have to tell Kyoya to order some for the club!"

I smiled, glad to see him happy. I took a lick on the other side of the cone. "This is the best place to get ice cream. I used to come here with…mom." I stopped and took another lick. It tasted nostalgic.

Tamaki gave me a small smile, "Your mother _would_ know of this place. I'm sure she would've liked to see you enjoy it."

I nodded and shook off the sad feeling, offering him the ice cream cone again. He took another lick and grinned.

Once we finished, we started walking through the market again. I was about to walk into fireworks shop when something caught my eye. I turned around and looked at a small toy stand.

Not that I would admit it to anyone, but I had a small collection of porcelain dolls. When I was younger, mom and I would take them out and play house with them. Ever since, if I came across one, I'd get it.

Which is why I was drawn to the table. Sitting dead center was a porcelain doll in a kimono. I looked over my shoulder to see Tamaki looking at me curiously. I flushed and took one more glance at the doll before trying to walk away. But when I turned, a hand stopped me.

"…Did you want it?"

I turned pink. I shrugged his hand off and said, "It's just a doll. I can live without it."

"I never asked if you wanted the doll." When I didn't say anything, he continued, "I…could get it for you, if you want." Before I could even say it was really ok, I didn't need it, he was already talking to the vendor.

A few minutes later, Tamaki handed me a bag. I smiled to myself. "Thank you Tamaki-senpai."

"J-just Tamaki is ok." I noticed his cheeks were tinted pink.

I had a sense of déjà vu, but before I could mention it, Tamaki grabbed my hand. He looked away, embarrassed. I slowly intertwined my fingers with his. It was…nice, holding hands.

"YESSSSSS!"

We both turned around, only to see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Did you…?"

"I think it's better we don't know."

**[RPOV]**

I managed to convince Kyoya to buy me a pair of binoculars, saying he could tack it onto Haruhi's debt (what? She won't notice!). We continued spying on their date.

"Aw, he bought her something." I said.

"You know, Haruhi wasn't kidding when she said this place had the best ice cream in Kuruizawa." Kaoru said. "Hey, Raine, want some?"

"Ah…" I quickly turned from the binoculars and took a bite, only to start spying again.

"Raine…"

"What Hikaru?"

He gently placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me around. "You still have ice cream on your face." He put a hand under my chin and pulled me forward. "Right…here." He pressed his lips to mine and gently grazed his tongue over my lips. Surprised, I dropped the binoculars, which landed with a loud clatter. Hikaru, startled by the noise, pulled back. I frowned and picked up the binoculars. After quickly dusting them off, I turned my attention to Tamaki and Haruhi just in time to see them grab a hold of each other's hand.

"YESSSSSSS!" I grinned and lowered the binoculars. "They're holding hands!"

Honey grabbed the binoculars, "Rae-chan is right! Haru-chan and Tama-chan ARE holding hands."

I cracked my knuckles and stood from my hiding place. "Well, my job is done."

"What are you talking about? I thought you wanted to spy on them?" Hikaru asked.

I nodded. "I did. But only for a little bit to make sure things would go smoothly on their own. Since they're holding hands, things are obviously going well. So…I don't really want to pry any longer than I have to." I turned around and started walking back to Misuzu's. "Besides, I'll get all the details from Haruhi later." I smiled and continued walking away, happy to hear several sets of footsteps follow me.

**[3rd**** person POV]**

"That girl is so _lucky_!"

Haruhi knew without looking that the young girl was talking about her. She flushed with embarrassment. She hated being in the center of attention, and now that she was with Tamaki, attention was all she got. She looked down at her feet as her and Tamaki walked through the markets. With each step she felt a stare, some from the vendors, and some from a few schoolgirls cooing.

"Haruhi?" Haruhi's head snapped up at the sound of her name. She was met with Tamaki's face looking down at her. "Are you feeling ok? Do you want to go back?"

Haruhi shook her head. Despite the looks she was getting, she liked spending time alone with Tamaki. She wouldn't admit it to anyone except herself (and Raine…but Raine would figure it out regardless of whether or not she was told), but she enjoyed having his full attention. She gripped the bag containing her doll a bit tighter.

Haruhi looked up, noticing clouds were coming in. Her smile slipped into a frown, "Do you think it'll rain?"

Tamaki followed her gaze up to the sky. "We've got a few hours." He pet the top of Haruhi's head affectionately with his free hand. "Don't worry, I'm here." He subtly pulled Haruhi closer to him.

**SOME TIME LATER**

Tamaki laughed as he walked along the cobblestone pathway. Haruhi and he had just eaten at a small café, and they were discussing the waitress that had been serving them.

"Did…you…see her face!" Haruhi said in between laughs, "That…was…priceless!"

Tamaki only grinned. The waitress hadn't known he was rich, so when he started ordering off the menu (assuming that the small sushi restaurant had French food) she panicked. And called the manger, who thought the whole thing was a joke. Luckily for the pair, Haruhi was able to explain the situation.

However, they ended up getting kicked out anyways when Tamaki tried to "save" the crab residing in the restaurant's fish tank.

"Hey Haruhi! What's over here?" Tamaki asked, dragging Haruhi to a building.

"This is the local church. It's what Kuruizawa was built around." Haruhi explained. "Would you like to look in-" Before Haruhi could finish her question, Tamaki was already tugging on her hand and going inside the old church.

"Nobody seems to be around."

"It's a weekday. Most people wait until the weekend to come to church." Haruhi looked at the pictures on the glass windows and smiled to herself. She always liked those windows.

Tamaki roamed around the corridor of the church. "Haruhi, don't you just feel…connected! I can feel spirits!"

Haruhi was about to laugh when a loud clap of thunder rang throughout the church. She instantly hid underneath the closest thing she could find. A table set up off to the side.

"Haruhi?"

**[TPOV]**

I knew I should have taken her back home hours ago, but I was having too much fun. And now she was scared and alone because I couldn't find where she went off to.

"Haruhi!" I called again. The church was dimly lit to begin with, and the storm completely knocked out the power. I was blindly searching for her with the occasional lightning streak as my only source of light. "HARUHI!"

"…over here…"

That was easily the softest I had ever heard her spoken. But I followed that small voice and found Haruhi underneath a table, tears gathering in her eyes. She was curled up and had her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She was more than afraid at this point, she was terrified.

I reached out my hand to touch her face. Lowering myself to the ground, I crawled underneath the table. I cautiously wrapped an arm around her and said, "I'm here Haruhi."

She looked up at me and I saw the tears trickling down her cheeks. I hated that face on her. So scared, so fragile, so broken. That face didn't belong on Haruhi. I tightened my grip on her. I wasn't going to let her be afraid anymore.

"I'm here Haruhi." I repeated.

She hid her face in my chest, and I could feel her body shaking from sobbing. She made me want to cry for her.

"Don't leave me…" she mumbled.

I shook my head, "I'll always be here for you."

There was a long pause before a very faint, "I love you, Tamaki."

I felt my heartbeat speed up. I stroked Haruhi's hair and said, "Yeah…I love you too."

**AFTER THE STORM HAD PASSED**

**[HaPOV]**

We were now awkwardly sitting in a car, being driven back to Misuzu's (they started getting worried about us). I couldn't even bring myself to look at Tamaki.

I couldn't believe how childish and rash I had been in the church. We've only kissed once. I couldn't…honestly say I loved him, could I?

The logical side of me was convinced that it was said in the heat of the moment. He was, after all, the person who had protected me from the storm. Logically, emotions that were running wild from fear and attraction (I wasn't denying I had feelings for him) would lead me to express love…as brashly as I did.

The emotional side of me, however, (the side I call Raine's advocate) told me otherwise.

I looked up to see Tamaki staring out the window. I felt my face heat up, so I looked away and crossed my arms over my chest, a nervous habit I never could quite break.

The car ride felt long and awkward. Usually, being with Tamaki invited noise and chatter. Now, he was scarily quiet. I hoped I hadn't scared him.

Then again, he did say it back.

…

He said it back.

I looked up again to see him now staring at me. My face colored to what I assume was a lovely shade of scarlet. "S-sorry." I muttered.

There was another long pause before he said, "Can I ask you something?"

I hesitated a little bit before nodding.

"Did…did you mean it?"

The car came to a stop. I looked at the ground, at my hands, at everything except him. I don't know what came over me. I just couldn't bear to look at him this way.

The driver opened the car for us. I stepped out and nearly ran to Misuzu's, not looking back at Tamaki.

"Haruhi, wait!"

I stopped. Although the storm at stopped, there was still a bit of a drizzle. The water fell down my face, streaking my cheeks like tears. I turned around slowly. "Yes?"

"Please answer my question. Did you mean it when you said you loved me?"

We both stood there for a long time. Just staring at each other. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't get the words out. I felt hopeless. Useless. Cold. I hated feeling that way, and he always made me feel this way. Is that what love is? I vaguely remembered Raine telling me about how she knew she was in love.

"_It's like…when you see the person, you can see yourself with them forever. And you feel like your heart is going to explode. And all you want to do is wrap your arms around them and hold them as though your life depended on it" she grinned, "but I guess I knew I was in love when the words just slipped out. Like I had fallen in love without even noticing."_

"Without even noticing…" I whispered to myself. I continued to stare at Tamaki, who was still waiting for his answer. I smiled slightly and said, "Yes."

"You…you do!"

I let my face break out into a wide smile, "I love you, Tamaki!"

And then he gave me a kiss. A real one.

**A/N: HOLY FREAKIN CRAP! …so, I just murdered these characters o_o do they seem OOC to you? I can't tell. Their personalities mature in my head faster than they probably should. IDK. I always think that they're all lost souls.**

**BTW - about the love thing, well, only the without noticing part is important. Like…it'll show up again later (so pay attention) XD so yeah…the rest of that explanation is kinda BS since I've never really been IN love before. (I'm 16, cut me a break ._. Although technically Haruhi/Raine/Twins are 16 too…man…such mature teenagers. Dealing with all this crap…I don't think my heart could handle it XD) **

**Winners of the one shot contest:**

**Song - Vic Mignogna's version of Guilty Beauty Love (Tama-chan's theme song.) A lot of people got this one correct, but PyroxXxManiac got it first. So first place winner, send a comment/PM about what you want your one shot to be about. **

**But now I feel bad cause all you guys got it *sniff* so, I'm gonna do this: everyone else who got it, send me a comment/PM for a one shot idea and I'll get them done…eventually. But Pyro's comes first, and it'll probably be considerably longer…but I think that's fair. **

**PDA - Raine got it for Kyoya for Christmas (Chapter title was "Chapter 10"). SingingSyd was the only one who got it right (although, the other guesses were quite humorous XD). So um…I don't know if you have an actual account or not SingingSyd…so uh, comment again if you have a specific plot in mind for the one shot XD. If not I'll just…wing it.**


	26. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

**Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)**

**Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.**

**Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though. **

**Chapter 18**

**[RPOV]**

Students and parents flooded the corridors. This was because today was the last day of school, and all the third years were finally graduating. The incoming first years were also on campus, taking a tour of the school. I smiled and waved at them, and told them it wasn't so scary being a first year, just watch out for the homework load.

"Can you believe Takashi and I are going to be college students?" Honey asked me excitedly. He was dressed in his graduation robes **(1) **and was smiling up at me.

I ruffled his hair a bit, "I can't believe a whole year has gone by." I thought about the adventures the host club had brought me. I was really going to miss Honey and Mori while they were at Tokyo U.

"Come on Rae-chan! The ceremony will start soon!" Honey said, suddenly tugging on the hem of my jacket.

I laughed. "Ok Honey, I just need to find Hikaru and Kaoru, okay?"

He nodded. "We reserved seats up front for you guys, but hurry!" And then he scurried off to join Mori.

I turned around and was met with identical pairs of golden eyes. "Missed us?" they asked together.

I scoffed. "I saw you ten minutes ago."

"But we missed _you_." they said, each of them wrapping an arm around me. I glanced around cautiously and my eyes connected with a girl walking not to far from us. She glared.

I couldn't believe how intimidated I _still _felt by some of the kids here. But still, this is why we never went public with our relationship. The fan girls scared me (although, some girls thought a threesome relationship between twins and maid was, and I quote, "Kyaaa, so kawaii!" sometimes I didn't know who was scarier).

Hikaru looked around and saw the girl who was glaring now dawning a smile. He only smirked and pulled me tighter in to him. Kaoru grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Erm…not that I don't love this, but people are staring." I said, feeling uncomfortable. I didn't want to be the cause of less customers at the club because the twins were taken.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a glance and suddenly stopped walking. Before I could ask them why, Hikaru leaned down and kissed me. Out of instinct, I wrapped my arms around his neck, and then felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. Kaoru pressed up against me and kissed my neck and cheeks.

Hikaru pulled away, "Let them stare."

I looked over at the girl who was glaring earlier and if she wasn't angry before, she was now. I chuckled. "Look's like the cat's out of the bag."

But, as I was _finally _able to intertwine my fingers with theirs as we walked the school hallway, I realized it wasn't such a bad thing.

The beginning of the ceremony, I found out, was quite dull. The chairman (who, incidentally, is Tamaki's dad. I find that weird, since he used to know my mom and my aunt, Tamaki and I could have potentially met years ago. But I digress…) made a speech about the accomplishments of the graduating third years and talked about how their lives were going to change.

But since I didn't know many of the older students, I wasn't all that into the ceremony until the name "Haninozuka Mitsukuni" rang through the auditorium.

When I saw Honey walked across the stage, I didn't believe it was him. He looked so mature walking up to get his diploma. He didn't even have Usa-chan! He talked about his life in the host club and how he had learned how to be himself. My eyes had filled with tears, as were Tamaki's.

"He's so grown up!" we wailed together.

And then Mori crossed the stage. When he grabbed his diploma and looked at us, the host club, he gave a small smile. A smile. It made my day (and made me cry harder, but that was besides the point). He didn't talk much about his life at Ouran, but he mentioned how the host club allowed him to branch out a little bit more. **(2)**

And the rest of M through Z got their diplomas and shook the chairman's hand. And then the chairmen told us we had all graduated into our next year, and that he's looking forward to the next generation of Ouran graduates.

And then, the final bell that alerted us the school year was over rang.

"Honey!" I screamed, picking him up off the floor. "I'm going to miss you and Mori so much! I mean, I'm not gonna come back from the states and see your smiling faces!"

"It's not over yet, Rae-chan. Takashi and I are going to be coming back to the club all the time. And there's the sleepover tomorrow…"

I froze and put Honey down on the ground. "What sleepover?" I asked cautiously, part of me not wanting to find out.

"Oops. I let it slip." He said innocently. "Tama-chan said he wanted to have a sleepover at Haru-chan's house, but she said no, so he said we'd surprise you by coming over to your house."

I groaned. "Ok, ok. Party at my place."

**1 DAY LATER**

"So, what exactly do commoners do at parties?" Tamaki asked.

I was leading them all to what I deemed the Green Room **(3). **Right left left left. Here it is! I opened the door. "Well, I didn't have many friends back home, so we only did small scale stuff. Mostly we ate," I threw my sleeping bag on the ground, "and sometimes we played a little truth or-" I looked over to see Haruhi violently shaking her head, "erm…Tamaki! Think fast!" I chucked my pillow at his head.

His shocked face was priceless. "What! But why! Why would my sister do this to m-"

"Tono! Think fast!" Hikaru and Kaoru called, throwing their own pillows.

_Thunk! Thunk! Thump. _

"Tamaki, don't get any blood on my carpet or Auntie will throw a fit."

Tamaki sat up and looked at Hikaru and Kaoru. "Why would you do such a thing to your daddy!"

I stifled a giggle. "Tamaki, don't worry. It's…er…it's a commoner game. A pillow fight."

"You fight with…pillows?" Tamaki asked, trying to understand the concept. He picked up his own Kuma-chan themed pillow and stared at it confusingly. I quickly explained how a pillow fight worked.

"It sounds like fun!" Honey chirped, "Rae-chan! Can we have a pillow fight!"

I shrugged. The way the host club did things, they'd probably be very elaborate with their couch and blanket forts. "A pillow fight sounds like fun. Ok then, boys vs. girls." I grinned and hooked arms with Haruhi. "Oh, and we're going to need a LOT more pillows."

**HALF AN HOUR LATER**

We decided to use the first two floors of the mansion as our battlefield. The entire third floor was neutral territory and anything above that was off limits. After laying out the ground rules (no hitting/kicking/pinching/etc., Honey and Mori couldn't be too vicious with the pillows, and neutral territory did NOT mean free for all) we split up - the boys vs. Haruhi and me. Auntie and Uncle decided to join in as well, scoping out enemy territory.

"I can't believe you roped me into this." Haruhi said, clutching two pillows.

"No, I can't believe I roped Kyoya into this." We came to a compromise, he didn't have to play if he held the position of referee. He basically counted how many times a person got hit (although we were trying to play by the honor system, it was nice to have a back up) and the person who got hit most made their team lose.

Which is why I said it would be fair that it was just Haruhi and myself on a team.

Anyways - my earlier assumption was confirmed when my auntie contacted Haruhi and I threw a walkie-talkie. "You should see the fort these guys built…it's a mansion of blankets!"

Haruhi scoffed. "I knew they were going to do this."

I chuckled. "Right then, well, Auntie, do you see any suspicious movement?"

"Not anymore than usu-AH! I've been hit! Retreat!"

"NEVER!" I called. "Come on Haruhi, it's time for revenge!"

She only sighed as I hauled her to the boys' fort.

**5 STEPS LATER**

"I see my auntie!" I whispered, spotting my aunt's shadow through the blanket wall of the fort. I clutched my pillow tightly. "Ok, so, you know the plan right?"

Haruhi nodded.

"Good. If everything goes smoothly, we'll be able to get in and out without being hit."

"You don't know…well you do know them like I do. This plan isn't going to work." She glanced at the suspiciously quiet fort. "I'll bet you anything that the twins are hiding behind the that mountain of pillows, waiting for you. They won't bother with me because once I get inside, Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai will be at the entrance. Tamaki-senpai…er…"

"Tamaki-_kun_…" I filled.

"Right. He'll try as hard as he can to resist hitting me but he'll end up slipping and hitting me on accident anyways. That will set off the trigger that it's ok to hit me, and in the end, Kyoya-senpai will be sitting on the sidelines writing in his book, and they'll win this half." She paused, "Besides, if they didn't win they'd throw a fit and we wouldn't hear the end of it until they beat us at something."

"You're a very pessimistic person Haruhi. Have some faith. Besides, it's all in good fun."

"Well, they aren't giving the winners of this game _your_ middle school photos."

I shrugged and snuck over to the entrance of the fort, only to be captured right before I got there.

Needless to say, Haruhi knows the Host Club well.

**LATER**

"So, do we get a _reward_ for winning?"

Hikaru had asked this question every five minutes since the boys won the pillow fight…6 hours ago.

"You wish."

"Don't be a sore loser." Kaoru said, snaking an arm around me.

"It's a very unattractive quality." Hikaru murmured, mirroring the movement.

"But you're a sore-"

"Don't ruin the moment."

I smiled and stroked his hair softly. I could feel both their hearts beating against my skin and realized how mine easily synced up with theirs. Sighing heavily, I rested my head into Hikaru's neck while Kaoru his rested into mine.

_Click!_

"This will make a wonderful Christmas card!"

Ah…should have seen that coming. "Uncle!"

My uncle only grinned. "Time for bed. The others are already in their sleeping bags."

We sighed and walked back to the Green Room where, just like Uncle had said, everyone was in their sleeping bags. However, none of them were sleeping. Instead, they were all talking about how they were going to stay up the whole night.

It was barely 11 o'clock and I could see everyone was already half lidded. I gave them another hour before they passed out from exhaustion. Even with a caffeine or sugar rush.

"Why don't we put in a movie…" I suggested. I walked over to the selection of DVDs we had. "Let's see…what does everyone want to see?"

"Horror!"

"Action!"

"Romantic comedy!"

"Documentary."

"Why don't we all just go to sleep?"

"But Haruhi, movies are a part of the commoner sleepover experience! Shouldn't you know this! Or…were you deprived of this experience! We are definitely watching a movie."

I pulled out Tampopo **(4) **and threw it into the DVD player. I flicked the lights off and went back to my sleeping bag. "Ok. You guys got your movie."

20 minutes in I could hear soft snoring. Honey was already fast asleep. I chuckled to myself. I had a feeling he'd be the first to crash.

25 more minutes past and I glanced over to see Haruhi with the sleeping bag over her head. I also noticed that Tamaki wasn't really watching the movie. I made a note to myself to tease her about it in the morning.

The movie was now halfway over. I took another glance around the room. Kyoya had fallen asleep. And now that I thought about it, he didn't look nearly as intimidating when he was sleeping. I was half tempted to take his picture. But my better judgment told me that I would regret it. So I stored away the memory instead.

Another 10 minutes and Mori is sleeping soundly next to his cousin. Tamaki is barely staying awake. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him pinching his arm.

20 more minutes and I hear a soft thud. I glance over my shoulder. Yup. Tamaki is out. Now it's just Hikaru, Kaoru, and I.

When the movie ended half an hour later, I looked around the room again to see that I was the only one awake. I got up to turn the TV off when suddenly I felt a hand grab mine. I let out a gasp before ramming my elbow into the person's stomach.

"Ow, geez, it's only me!"

I squinted my eyes. Oh. It's Hikaru. Figures he'd scare me. "Sorry," I whispered, but you scared me."

In the dark I could make out a grin. "I thought you were fearless."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Ok, you startled me then."

He snickered. "Yeah, I could tell by the way you jumped nearly ten feet into the air."

I glared, even though he probably couldn't see it, and punched him in the arm. "Go to bed."

Hikaru only grinned and tugged on my arm, "Only if you sleep with me."

I sighed. "I'm too tired to think of a comeback for that." I walked over to my sleeping bag and pulled it over to where Hikaru and Kaoru had set up theirs. I climbed into mine and mumbled, "G'night…"

I started falling asleep when I felt a body shift closer to mine. When I opened my eyes, Hikaru was facing me, eyes closed and breathing softly. I leaned foreword and kissed his forehead softly. I turned over and saw Kaoru on my other side, sleeping just as soundly. I kissed his forehead as well, and then buried myself into my sleeping bag, unconsciously reaching my hands out for either of theirs.

I fell asleep to the sound of three synchronized heartbeats.

**(1): No idea if they do this, but since I'm already on American schedule, might as well give them American graduation. *shrugs* **

**(2): We never do actually learn why Mori joins the host club O_o I mean, there are people who assume its because Honey decided to but I don't know. I think there's a background story somewhere _ but…sadly, we never learn about it. **

**(3): A green room, in case you didn't know, is a room usually for celebrities to hang out in before a show. It's usually filled with items (food, drinks, games, etc.) that the guest requests. And no, they are not actually green. I think that's weird O_o I seriously wonder how the name "Green Room" got coined. Meh.**

**(4) Japanese comedy. Translates to Dandelion. Apparently, it's good (I've yet to see it)**

**OMGZ! This story is coming to an end! Next chapter shall be the ending, with the big unveil! (T_T) and also (^_^) at the same time. I…really hate it now, so I'm glad to be almost done with it.**

**BTW: Pyro! I still need your one shot request :D**

**Time for shameless advertisement: If you haven't seen it already, I'm writing a new story called "Now Hiring" where I try a new writing style. And it's way better than this one! It's also a HikaruxOCxKaoru story though. So yeah…check it out if you haven't already :D **


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